Pattern of care and treatment outcome of high-grade glioma patients at 4 Ethiopian teaching hospitals: a prospective cohort study

Abstract

Abstract Background High-grade gliomas are the most prevalent type of malignant brain tumor in adults and the second leading cause of cancer-related death. This study assesses epidemiology, pattern of care, and treatment outcome of high-grade glioma in Ethiopia. Methods A Prospective cohort study. Data collected were analyzed using SPSS. Frequency distribution was used to describe the characteristics of the study participants. Chi-squared tests and survival analysis were used to assess the treatment outcomes. Variables with P < .05 were considered as significant. Results There was a total of 40 patients. The median age at diagnosis was 47 years. Headache was the commonest presenting symptom (97.5%), followed by seizure (52.5%) and weakness (50%). The pre-operative tumor volume ranged between 3.9 and 168 cm3, with a mean volume of 80.38 cm3. A total of 22 patients had ≥97% extent of resection. About 17.5% of the patients died post-treatment. The mean survival time was 20.77 months (95% CI: 18.46-23.09 months). There was significant association with higher Karnofsky performance status (KPS) scale (≥70), pre-operative GCS, and post-operative adjuvant therapy with survival outcome (χ2 = 10.19 P = .006, χ2 = 12.9 P = .005, χ2 = 6.716 P = .035), respectively. Conclusion In our study, the mean survival time was 20.77 months. Higher KPS, pre-operative Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) of 15, and patients receiving post-op adjuvant therapy had a significant favorable association with survival in our study.