The following is a summary of “Prognostic significance of synchronous metastasis in glioblastoma multiforme patients: a propensity score-matched analysis using SEER data,” published in the October 2024 issue of Neurology by Shen et al.  

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) with synchronous metastasis (SM) is a rare occurrence that can impact patient outcomes.  

Researchers conducted a retrospective study investigating the prognostic significance of SM in patients with GBM.  

They analyzed data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database for patients with GBM (2004 to 2015), employing propensity score matching (PSM) to adjust for confounding factors (PSM at a 3:1 ratio).   

The results showed a cohort of 19,708 patients obtained from the database, among which 272 (1.4%) had SM at diagnosis. Following PSM at a 3:1 ratio, both univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses demonstrated SM (HR = 1.27, 95% CI: 1.09–1.46) as an independent predictive factor for patients with GBM. The Cox proportional hazard forest plot illustrated independent risk variables for SM patients with GBM, including age (Old vs. Young, HR = 1.44, 95% CI: 1.11–1.88), surgery (biopsy vs. no surgery, HR = 0.67, 95% CI: 0.46–0.96; Subtotal resection vs. no surgery, HR = 0.47, 95% CI: 0.32–0.68; Gross total resection vs. no surgery, HR = 0.44, 95% CI: 0.31–0.62), radiotherapy (HR = 0.58, 95% CI: 0.41–0.83), and chemotherapy (HR = 0.51, 95% CI: 0.36–0.72).  

They concluded that SM in patients with GBM warrants aggressive treatment approaches, as radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and surgery can improve outcomes.  

Source: frontiersin.org/journals/neurology/articles/10.3389/fneur.2024.1429826/full