Table 1.
Base-line characteristics of patients newly diagnosed low-grade astrocytoma (n=90)
| Factor | n (%) |
|---|---|
| Gender | |
| Male | 47 (52.2) |
| Female | 43 (47.8) |
| Mean age-year (SD) | 35.7 (19.3) |
| Signs and symptoms | |
| Seizure | 46 (51.1) |
| Progressive headache | 37 (41.1) |
| Weakness | 20 (22.2) |
| Visual disturbance | 9 (10.0) |
| Ataxia | 6 (6.7) |
| Behavior change | 1 (1.1) |
| Preoperative KPS score | |
| <80 | 28 (31.1) |
| ≥80 | 62 (68.9) |
| Location | |
| Frontal lobe | 33 (36.7) |
| Temporal lobe | 16 (17.8) |
| Corpus callosum | 10 (11.1) |
| Cerebellum | 9 (10.0) |
| Sellar/suprasellar area | 6 (6.7) |
| Parietal lobe | 4 (4.4) |
| Brainstem | 3 (3.3) |
| Basal ganglion | 3 (3.3) |
| Thalamus | 3 (3.3) |
| Occipital lobe | 1 (1.1) |
| Periventricular area | 1 (1.1) |
| Pineal gland | 1 (1.1) |
| Site of tumor | |
| Left | 33 (36.7) |
| Right | 33 (36.7) |
| Midline | 22 (24.4) |
| Bilateral sites (for multiple lesions) | 2 (2.2) |
| Mean maximum diameter of tumor-cm (SD) | 5.5 (2.0) |
| Mean tumor volume-cm3 (SD) | 58.0 (48.0) |
| Eloquent area | 35 (38.9) |
| Preoperative hydrocephalus | 24 (26.7) |
| Preoperative leptomeningeal dissemination | 5 (5.6) |
| Preoperative multiple lesions | 4 (4.4) |
| Mean preoperative midline shift-cm (SD) | 4 (4.4) |
| Extent of resection | |
| Total resection | 13 (14.4) |
| Subtotal resection | 17 (18.9) |
| Partial resection | 26 (28.9) |
| Stereotactic biopsy | 34 (37.8) |
| Postoperative radiotherapy | 58 (64.4) |
| Postoperative chemotherapy | |
| No | 87 (95.6) |
| Temozolomide | 2 (2.2) |
| Vincristine and cyclophosphamide | 2 (2.2) |
| Postoperative KPS score | |
| <80 | 36 (40.0) |
| ≥80 | 54 (60.0) |
| Histology of the first diagnosis | |
| Pilocytic astrocytoma | 14 (15.6) |
| Diffuse astrocytoma | 72 (80.0) |
| Gemistocytic astrocytoma | 2 (2.2) |
| Pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma | 2 (2.2) |
SD – Standard deviation; KPS – Karnofsky performance status