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Malignant astrocytoma in South Australia: treatment and case survival
Author(s) -
North Brian,
Reilly Peter,
Blumbergs Peter,
Roder David,
Esterman Adrian
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
medical journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1326-5377
pISSN - 0025-729X
DOI - 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1990.tb136894.x
Subject(s) - medicine , radiation therapy , astrocytoma , survival rate , surgery , 5 year survival rate , overall survival , pediatrics , glioma , cancer research
Kernohan grade III and IV astrocytomas are usually fatal and in the past have had a case survival rate of only about 10% two years from diagnosis. Data on 285 cases registered at the Royal Adelaide Hospital in 1977‐1986 showed a median survival of approximately six months. The survival rate was 25% at one year and 15% at two years. Survival reduced markedly with increase in age at diagnosis from a two‐year rate of 53% for patients under 40 years of age to 5% for patients aged 70 years or more. This may have been due in part to the more frequent treatment of younger patients by decompression and radiotherapy. Apart from age and treatment mode, factors related to extended survival included a longer duration of symptoms before diagnosis and location of the tumour in the frontal lobes. Notwithstanding prospects for an increase in short‐term survival from the use of radiotherapy as an adjunct to surgery, long‐term outcomes for these neoplasms are still very poor.