The effect of tumor growth kinetics on survival and time toxicity after resection of recurrent glioblastoma.

objectiveReoperation for recurrent glioblastoma (GBM) remains controversial but is commonly offered to maximize patient quality of life (QOL) and functional status. While there is mixed evidence that waiting for surgery in primary GBM does not affect survival, this has not been studied in the context of recurrent disease, which is more aggressive. The aim of this study was to assess how recurrent tumor kinetics (i.e., tumor growth relative to the time to resection) affect survival and QOL, as measured by time toxicity, after repeat resection in patients with recurrent GBM.

methodsA prospectively collected database was queried for patients with first-time recurrent IDH-wildtype GBM, with progression confirmed by the modified Response Assessment in Neuro-Oncology criteria, from 2012 to 2022. Only patients who were recommended surgery as the first-line treatment for disease progression were included. Recursive partitioning analysis was used to automatically detect growth rate and time to repeat resection (TTRR) thresholds that affected repeat resection survival (RRS). Time toxicity was the percentage of days of medical contact for the TTRR and RRS.

resultsSeventy-three patients were included in the analysis. The median TTRR of the overall cohort was 27.2 days (range 1-90 days), with a mean TTRR time toxicity of 25.2% (SD 29.2%). The median RRS was 270 days (range 23-1495 days), with a mean RRS time toxicity of 19.3% (SD 17.7%). Patients with tumor growth of 0.08 cm3 per day or faster (faster-growth group) had significantly worse RRS (p = 0.004) and time toxicity (p = 0.016). Patients who underwent repeat resection ≥ 43 days (longer TTRR group) after confirmed progression had significantly worse survival (p = 0.015) and the time toxicity increased after surgery (11.6% to 25.1%, p = 0.014). While there was no significant survival difference between the faster tumor growth and longer TTRR group compared with the faster growth and shorter TTRR group (p = 0.20), the group with faster tumor growth but shorter TTRR had better survival (median 179 days vs 81 days).

conclusionsFaster-growing GBM recurrence was associated with worse survival and time toxicity. Patients with a shorter time to surgery had improved survival compared with those with longer wait times, and this effect partially attenuated the poor risk of fast tumor growth. Therefore, tumor kinetics in recurrent GBM appear to be an important consideration for patient prognosis and QOL after surgery.