What is the prognosis for methylated MGMT GBM?
Importantly, the MGMT status was found to be a strong prognostic factor as the median survival was 21.2 months in MGMT- methylated GBMs versus 14.0months in unmethylated.
Glioblastoma survival rate
The average glioblastoma survival time is 12-18 months – only 25% of patients survive more than one year, and only 5% of patients survive more than five years.
The mainstay of treatment for GBMs is surgery, followed by radiation and chemotherapy. The primary objective of surgery is to remove as much of the tumor as possible without injuring the surrounding normal brain tissue needed for normal neurological function.
These results, and data from several other researchers, indicate that 40–50% of GBMs are potentially methylated, which might be of clinical benefit regarding treatment with alkylating agents.
MGMT methylation - This is short for O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase and whether it is 'methylated' or 'unmethylated' indicates how effectively the tumour cells can repair the damage inflicted on them by certain chemotherapy drugs, such as Temozolomide.
Patients with methylated O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) promoters have impaired DNA repair, which augments the mechanism of action of TMZ-based chemotherapy and improves survival compared with patients with unmethylated MGMT, both in clinical trials and real-world studies [6].
Glioblastoma multiforme is the most aggressive of the gliomas, a collection of tumors arising from glia or their precursors within the central nervous system.
It grows fast and can spread quickly, so by the time it's diagnosed, the chances for survival are low. The average life expectancy for glioblastoma patients who undergo treatment is 12-15 months and only four months for those who do not receive treatment.
Combined treatment consistently resulted in a 2-year survival rate of 10-18%. However, the median survival in contemporary series is highly variable, still ranging from 5 to 13 months.
The five-year survival rate for glioblastoma patients is only 6.8 percent, and the average length of survival for glioblastoma patients is estimated to be only 8 months.