Variation in management of spinal gliobastoma multiforme: results from a national cancer registry

Primary glioblastoma of the spinal cord (spinal GBM) is a rare central nervous system tumor, relative to its cranial counterpart (cranial GBM). Our current knowledge of spinal GBM epidemiology, tumor characteristics and treatment are insufficient and mostly based on single-institution case series.

All patients diagnosed with grade-4 GBM from 2004 to 2014 were queried from the National Cancer Database. Chi square analysis was used to compare presenting characteristics while Kaplan–Meier and Cox regression analyses were employed for survival analyses.

Total 103,496 patients with cranial GBM and 190 patients with spinal GBM were analyzed. Median survival for spinal GBM was found to be higher compared to cranial GBM (p = 0.07). Spinal GBM patients had significant better survival in 18 to 65 years age group than < 18 years and > 65 years age group (p = 0.003). Overall survival time for 95 spinal GBM patients with available treatment data was not statistically different among the four treatment modalities (radiation with or without chemotherapy, surgery alone, surgery with adjuvant therapy, and palliative therapy; p = 0.28).On multivariable analysis, < 18 years age group was associated with improved survival (HR 0.50, 95% CI 0.23–1.00, p = 0.046), while tumor extension was associated with poor survival (HR 2.71, 95% CI 1.04–6.22, p = 0.041). Interestingly surgery with adjuvant therapy was unable to show increase survival compared to other treatment modalities.

Our study adds to the growing literature on spinal GBM with a focus on comparative trends with cranial GBM and outcomes with different treatment modalities.