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The treatment of older patients with malignant gliomas remains highly controversial and varies considerably among institutions. These researchers have conducted the first randomized trial of the effect on survival of postoperative radiotherapy compared with surgery alone in high-performing elders (Karnofsky performance scale score >70; age ≥70) with malignant gliomas. After surgery, 39 patients were randomized to radiotherapy and 42 to supportive care. The authors also compared the quality-of-life (QOL) and neuropsychological status of the two groups.
The addition of radiation conferred a modest, but statistically significant, survival benefit (29.1 weeks vs. 16.9 weeks with supportive care alone). Cognitive outcomes and QOL effects were no …