Prognostic Factors for Survival of Patients with Glioblastoma in the Southern Region of Morocco

Abstract

Background: Glioblastoma is the most common brain cancer in adults. It is caused by the abnormal proliferation of central nervous system cells called astrocytes, with an incidence rate of 4.32 per 100,000 in the United States. The median survival for glioblastoma is about 1 to 2 years. In Morocco, the survival of patients with glioblastoma is relatively little explored. Objectives: This research aims to study overall survival and these prognostic factors in patients with glioblastoma. Methods: This is a retrospective study; the data were extracted from the files of patients with glioblastoma in the public reference oncology center in the southern region of Morocco; it is a prognostic study including all patients with glioblastoma cancer between 2014 and October 2021. Results: The present study ultimately focused on 71 files of cases diagnosed with glioblastoma. The median age at diagnosis was 57, with a sex ratio of 1.44. The median survival time for all glioblastoma patients in this study was 11 months (95% CI: 9.96 to 12.03 months). Univariate analysis revealed that age, sex, geographical origin, type of treatment, and type of surgery were significant at P = 0.20 and then included in the multivariate model. After adjusting for all factors, the results revealed that only gender, age, and geographical origin were statistically significant predictors of overall survival. Conclusions: The survival rate in patients with glioblastoma is improved with surgery, followed by concomitant radio-chemotherapy. We also confirmed that age and sex are important prognostic factors for the survival of patients with glioblastoma. Moreover, the data suggest the effect of the geographical origin of the patients on the overall survival of the patients as the only modifiable prognostic factor.