For high-grade glioma (HGG) patients with old age or poor performance status, hypofractionated radiotherapy (hypoRT) in 10-15 fractions is recommended. Also, limited data exist on the impact of salvage treatment after progression in frail patients. We retrospectively analyzed the outcomes of dose-escalated hypoRT in 40 frail HGG patients who were treated with hypoRT between 2013 and 2021. With a median biologically effective dose of 71.7 Gy, a total dose of 56 Gy in 20 fractions was the most frequently used regimen (53.7%). The median age and Karnofsky Performance Status of patients were 74 years and 70, respectively. Most patients (n = 31, 77.5%) were diagnosed with glioblastoma, IDH-wildtype, CNS WHO grade 4. Only 10 (25.0%) patients underwent surgical resection, and 28 (70.0%) patients received concurrent temozolomide during hypoRT. With a median follow-up of 9.7 months, the median overall survival (OS) was 12.2 months. Of the 30 (75.0%) patients with disease progression, only 12 patients received salvage treatment. The OS after progression differed significantly depending on salvage treatment (median OS, 9.6 vs. 4.6 months, p = 0.032). Dose-escalated hypoRT in 20 fractions produced survival outcomes outperforming historical data for frail patients.
Keywords: brain tumor; frail patients; hypofractionation; radiotherapy.