Glioblastoma in the Elderly: Review of Molecular and Therapeutic Aspects
Francesco Bruno, Alessia Pellerino, Rosa Palmiero, Luca Bertero, Cristina Mantovani, Diego Garbossa, Riccardo Soffietti, Roberta Rudà
Abstract
Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive primary brain tumour. As GBM incidence is associated with age, elderly people represent a consistent subgroup of patients. Elderly people with GBM show dismal prognosis (about 6 months) and limited response to treatments. Age is a negative prognostic factor, which correlates with clinical frailty, poorer tolerability to surgery or adjuvant radio-chemotherapy, and higher occurrence of comorbidities and/or secondary complications. The aim of this paper is to review the clinical and molecular characteristics, current therapeutic options, and prognostic factors of elderly patients with GBM.