Management and survival rates in patients with glioma in China (2004–2010): a retrospective study from a single-institution

To analyze the clinical characteristics and prognostic factors in patients with glioma in an academic institute in China. From October 2004 to August 2010, total 1,285 patients were diagnosed as glioma at the Glioma Center of Beijing Tiantan Hospital. Clinical and molecular pathology features and survival rates were analyzed. The median overall survival (OS) times were 78.1, 37.6 and 14.4 months for low-grade glioma (WHO grade II), anaplastic glioma (WHO grade III) and glioblastoma (WHO grade IV), respectively. In patients with low-grade glioma, age, preoperative Karnofsky performance scale (KPS), pathological type, radiotherapy, O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) expression and Ki-67 expression, were significantly associated with OS in multivariate analyses; and preoperative KPS and radiotherapy were significantly associated with progression-free survival (PFS). For anaplastic gliomas, age, preoperative KPS, pathological type, extent of resection, radiotherapy, p53 expression and phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) expression were associated with OS. For glioblastomas, age, preoperative KPS, pathology type, extent of resection, radiotherapy and chemotherapy were associated with OS; and age, gender, preoperative KPS, extent of resection, radiotherapy and chemotherapy were associated with PFS. This is the largest survey for glioma management in China to date. We found significant differences in age, presenting symptoms and the expression of p53, MGMT, PTEN, and Ki-67 among patients with different types of glioma. Age, preoperative KPS, tumor grades, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and Ki-67 expression were significantly associated with clinical prognosis.