Over ten years overall survival in glioblastoma: A different disease?

Abstract Purpose The reasons why a specific subset of glioblastoma (GBM) patients survive longer than others is still unclear. This study analyzed a cohort of long-term and very-long-term GBM survivors to determine which genetic alterations or patient's characteristics influence survival time. Methods We retrospectively reviewed a cohort of GBM patients treated at our institution over the last 20 years, stratifying patients in three groups: those with a survival time ≥ 36 months and  Results Younger age at presentation (HR = 0.36, 95% CI 0.21–0.67, p = .001), and MGMT promoter [(MGMTp), methylated, HR = 0.57, CI 0.34–0.96, p = .034) were associated with higher odds of VLTS survival. The multivariate analysis showed how the combination of younger age ( Conclusions We confirmed younger age at presentation and MGMTp methylation as the only independent factors associated with VLTS. The exceptional survival of our VLTS patients is probably associated with different, still understudied, gene mutations, or with the coexistence of multiple factors.