Perioperative quality of life in functionally dependent glioblastoma patients: A prospective study

Objective. Functionally dependent patients with glioblastoma have a poor prognosis which may in part be due to a negative treatment selection. Prospective data on patient-reported quality of life (QoL) following surgery, together with an updated survival analysis, are lacking with regard to functionally dependent glioblastoma patients. Materials and methods. Adult patients (>= 18 years) with a histologically confirmed primary glioblastoma with preoperative Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) <= 60, who were treated between January 1, 2007 and March 30, 2014, were eligible for inclusion. EuroQol 5D (EQ-5D) was scored before surgery and at 4-6 weeks postoperatively. A control group of 20 independent (i.e., KPS >= 70) adult primary glioblastoma patients was constructed. Results. Among the 27 patients included, only 22 patients were willing to participate in QoL research, with complete QoL follow-up data obtained for 16. There were 22 resections and 5 biopsies. In resection cases, the median extent of resection was 93% (IQR 78-99), with gross-total resection achieved in 24%. In the 16 patients with complete QoL data, the EQ-5D index score increased from 0.34 +/- 0.38 preoperatively to 0.45 +/- 0.32 postoperatively (p = 0.30), with 3 patients that deteriorated in QoL following surgery. Median survival was 7.3 months (95%, CI: 4.6-9.9, n = 27), and the perioperative mortality was 7%. Treatment characteristics between dependent and independent patients were similar, as were the unfavorable outcomes defined as QoL reduction, QoL drop-out, and dead before QoL assessment (41% vs. 45%, p = 0.79). However, a difference was seen in 6-month survival (42% vs. 15%, p = 0.05). Conclusion. In most functionally dependent patients with glioblastoma, cytoreductive surgery is possible, and improved or unchanged postoperative QoL may be seen in approximately half of the cases. This must be weighed against the risk of complications and the modest effect of cytoreductive surgery.