Treatment results and the prognostic factors of low grade gliomas

Low grade gliomas are in general slow growing primary brain tumors, but they have a heterogeneous clinical behavior. It?s important to decide the way of treatment, as they seen at young age and they have long survey. The main treatment is maximal surgical resection. Postoperatif treatment is controversial. For this reason, it?s important to know the prognostic factors and risky patients groups for the decision of treatment. In this study, we investigated retrospectively 88 patients treatment results and the factors which affect the prognosis with low grade glial tumor, who consulted the Radiation Oncology Department of Gazi University. With a mean follow-up of 97,5 months, 2 years, 5 and 10 years survey are %90, %68 ve % 60 retropectively. The mean progression free survey was 56,4 months; 2 and 5 years progression free survey are %73 and %44 retrospectively. When we examined the prognostic factors, we determined that having a surgery less than gross total resection, presence of neurologic deficit and postoperatif residue tumor are statistical significant negative prognostic factors in univariate analysis. Beside this, only presence of neurologic defisit at diagnosis was independent prognostic factor in multivariate analysis. When the patients were grouped according to the time they had radiation theraphy, we found that the patients who had postoperative radiation theraphy have a longer progression free survey, compared to the patiens who had radiation theraphy at progression, and this difference was statistical significant. But there was no difference in general survey. We investigated the factors which cause malign transformation. Malign transformation was seen fewer in the group of patients who had gross total resection and this was statistical significant. As a result, for desicion of treatment in low grade gliomas, the prognostic factors have to be known. For this, multi centre, prospective and randomized studies are needed. In this study we emphasized the prognostic meaning of having neurologic deficit at diagnosis. Key words: low grade glioma, prognostic factors, radiation theraphy