Pattern of care and effectiveness of treatment for glioblastoma patients in the real world: Results from a prospective population-based registry. Could survival differ in a high-volume center?

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common and aggressive glioma in adults, with an incidence of 3 to 4 new cases per 100 000 inhabitants per year.1 Despite advances in treatment modalities, the prognosis for GBM remains poor, with a 10% probability of survival at 5 years.2 The standard-of-care treatment for newly diagnosed GBM was established in 2005, when findings made in a randomized phase III trial (EORTC 26981–22981 /NCIC CE3 [EORTC/NCIC]) demonstrated that temozolomideconcurrent with and adjuvant to radiotherapy was more effective than radiotherapy alone.3 Results obtained from one phase III clinical trial neither warrant transferability to clinical practice nor reliably demonstrate a survival benefit for the entire GBM population. The impact of this combined approach has been evaluated in many retrospective population studies,4–6 but no findings from a prospective study have been reported in the literature so far.