Genetic Profile of Primary Brain Tumours and the Degree of Their Resection Versus Survival of Patients Undergoing Surgery and Complementary Oncological Treatment

Abstract

Introduction. Recently, the incidence of brain glial tumours has increased significantly worldwide. Gliomas are among the most malignant types of tumours of the central nervous system. Patients diagnosed with glial tumours have a very unfavourable prognosis leading to death, and the course of the disease itself has a negative impact on their physical, mental and social condition. Aim. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of the results of histological and genetic tests as well as the degree of resection of primary CNS tumours on the survival of patients undergoing neurosurgery and complementary oncological treatment — pharmacology and radiotherapy. Material and Methods. The research was carried out on the basis of an analysis of medical records (2019–2021) of 63 adult patients from the Department of Neurosurgery of the Specialist Municipal Hospital of Nicolaus Copernicus in Toruń. The study group included patients who had been diagnosed with a primary brain tumour and had undergone neurosurgery and complementary oncological treatment. The analysis of medical documentation consisted in comparing the results of histopathological tests with the results of specialized molecular tests and correlating them with the survival time of patients. The statistical analysis was carried out using the Pearson correlation, statistical inference was made at the significance level of p=0.05. Results. Based on the obtained results, it was found that the presence of MGMT gene promoter methylation (r=0.30, p=0.018) and IDH mutation (r=0.38, p=0.002) correlated positively with survival. The extent of resection also had a significant impact on patient survival (r=0.55, p<0.001). Patients who underwent complete tumour resection survived an average of 19.34 months, while those who underwent biopsy survived for 7.94 months. Conclusions. The data collected during the conducted analyses may be important for the prognosis perspective and the selection of the optimal treatment strategy for both current and future patients. (JNNN 2022;11(4):162–166)