Biopsy

Cohort

Surgery

Radiation therapy

Radiology

Progression-free survival

Internal medicine

Chemotherapy

Oncology

Medicine

Stereotactic biopsy

Magnetic resonance imaging

Neurosurgery

BACKGROUND Laser ablation (LA) is used as an upfront treatment in patients with deep seated newly diagnosed Glioblastoma (nGBM). OBJECTIVE To evaluate the outcomes of LA in patients with nGBM and compare them with a matched biopsy-only cohort. METHODS Twenty-four nGBM patients underwent upfront LA at Cleveland clinic, Washington University in St. Louis, and Yale University (6/2011-12/2014) followed by chemo/radiotherapy. Also, 24 out of 171 nGBM patients with biopsy followed by chemo/radiotherapy were matched based on age (&lt; 70 vs ≥ 70), gender, tumor location (deep vs lobar), and volume (&lt;11 cc vs ≥11 cc). Progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and disease-specific PFS and OS were outcome measures. Three prognostic groups were identified based on extent of tumor ablation by thermal-damage-threshold (TDT)-lines. RESULTS The median tumor volume in LA (n = 24) and biopsy only (n = 24) groups was 9.3 cm 3 and 8.2 cm 3 respectively. Overall, median estimate of OS and PFS in LA cohort was 14.4 and 4.3 mo compared to 15.8 mo and 5.9 mo for biopsy only cohort. On multivariate analysis, favorable TDT-line prognostic groups were associated with lower incidence of disease specific death ( P = .03) and progression ( P = .05) compared to other groups including biopsy only cohort. Only age (&lt;70 yr, P = .02) and tumor volume (&lt;11 cc, P = .03) were favorable prognostic factors for OS. CONCLUSION The maximum tumor coverage by LA followed by radiation/chemotherapy is an effective treatment modality in patients with nGBM, compared to biopsy only cohort. The TDT-line prognostic groups were independent predictor of disease specific death and progression after LA.

Upfront Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Guided Stereotactic Laser-Ablation in Newly Diagnosed Glioblastoma: A Multicenter Review of Survival Outcomes Compared to a Matched Cohort of Biopsy-Only Patients