Does the extent of surgery have an impact on the survival of patients who receive postoperative radiation therapy for supratentorial low‐grade gliomas?

We evaluate the impact of extent of surgery (EOS) on survival of patients with supratentorial nonpilocytic low‐grade gliomas (LGG) treated with postoperative radiation therapy (PORT). Sixty‐five patients with pathologically confirmed supratentorial nonpilocytic LGG (36 astrocytomas and 29 oligodendrogliomas) were treated with PORT after different extents of surgery: 12 gross total resections (GTR), 27 minimal or subtotal resections (MR/SR), and 26 biopsies (B). EOS was confirmed with postoperative imaging. The median radiation dose delivered was 5,940 cGy (range, 4,950–6,620 cGy). One of 12 patients (8%) in the GTR group and 12 of 53 patients (23%) in the less than GTR group demonstrated contrast enhancement. The median follow‐up was 61 months (range 5–194 month). The 10‐year overall survival (OS) was 82.5% and 32% for the GTR and the less than GTR groups, respectively (P = 0.0008). The corresponding 10‐year disease‐specific survival (DSS) was 90% and 41.4%%, respectively (P = 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that only contrast enhancement and EOS were predictors for OS and DSS. Our data suggest that EOS correlates with OS and DSS in patients who have PORT. GTR should be the goal if technically achievable without causing significant morbidity, and its combination with PORT is compatible with long‐term survival. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.