Gamma knife stereotactic radiosurgery for patients with glioblastoma multiforme.
Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) has become an effective therapeutic modality for the treatment of patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). This retrospective review evaluates the impact of SRS delivered on a gamma knife (GK) unit as an adjuvant therapy in the management of patients with GBM. Between August 1993 and December 1998, 82 patients with pathologically confirmed GBM received external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) at the University of Maryland Medical Center. Of these 82 patients, 64 with a minimum follow-up duration of at least 1 month are the focus of this analysis. Of the 64 assessable patients, 33 patients were treated with EBRT alone (Group 1), and 31 patients received both EBRT plus a GK-SRS boost (Group 2). GK-SRS was administered to most patients within 6 weeks of the completion of EBRT. The median EBRT dose was 59.7 Gy (range, 28-070.2 Gy), and the median GK-SRS dose to the prescription volume was 17.1 Gy (range, 10-28 Gy). The median age of the study population was 50.4 years, and the median pretreatment Karnofsky performance status was 80. Patient-, tumor-, and treatment-related variables were analyzed by Cox regression analysis, and survival curves were generated by the Kaplan-Meier product limit. Median overall survival for the entire cohort was 16 months, and the actuarial survival rate at 1, 2, and 3 years were 67, 40, and 26%, respectively. When comparing age, Karnofsky performance status, extent of resection, and tumor volume, no statistical differences where discovered between Group 1 versus Group 2. When comparing the overall survival of Group 1 versus Group 2, the median survival was 13 months versus 25 months, respectively (P = 0.034). Age, Karnofsky performance status, and the addition of GK-SRS were all found to be significant predictors of overall survival via Cox regression analysis. No acute Grade 3 or Grade 4 toxicity was encountered. The addition of a GK-SRS boost in conjunction with surgery and EBRT significantly improved the overall survival time in this retrospective series of patients with GBM. A prospective, randomized validation of the benefit of SRS awaits the results of the recently completed Radiation Therapy Oncology Group's trial RTOG 93-05.