Exploring the relationship between age and prognosis in glioma: rethinking current age stratification.

BACKGROUND: The age of glioma plays a unique role in prognosis. We hypothesized that age is not positively correlated with survival prognosis and explored its exact relationship. METHODS: Glioma was identified from the SEER database (between 2000 and 2018). A multivariate Cox proportional regression model and restricted cubic spline (RCS) plot were used to assess the relationship between age and prognosis. RESULTS: A total of 66465 patients with glioma were included. Hazard ratios (HR) for ten-year by age: 0-9 years, HR 1.06 (0.93-1.20); 10-19 years: reference; 20-29 years, HR 0.90 (0.82-1.00); 30-39 years, HR 1.14 (1.04-1.25); 40-49 years, HR 2.09 (1.91-2.28); 50-59 years, HR 3.48 (3.19-3.79); 60-69 years, HR 4.91 (4.51-5.35);70-79 years, HR 7.95 (7.29-8.66); 80-84 years, HR 12.85 (11.74-14.06). After adjusting for covariates, the prognosis was not positively correlated with age. The smooth curve of RCS revealed this non-linear relationship: HR increased to 10 years first, decreased to 23 years, reached its lowest point, and became J-shaped. CONCLUSION: The relationship between age and glioma prognosis is non-linear. These results challenge the applicability of current age groupings for gliomas and advocate the consideration of individualized treatment guided by precise age.

Efficacy and safety of tumor-treating fields in recurrent glioblastoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Tumor-treating fields (TTF) is a novel cancer treatment that uses alternating electric fields to interfere with tumor cell mitosis. It has been approved by the U.S. food and drug administration for the treatment of recurrent glioblastoma (rGBM). We designed this meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy and safety of TTF in the treatment of rGBM. METHODS: The study was based on the PRISMA guideline. Systematic retrieval was performed in PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Embase databases. The outcomes were overall survival (OS) hazard ratio (HR), 1-year survival rate, and cutaneous toxicity. RESULTS: These studies included a total of 1048 rGBM patients who received TTF treatment. The overall survival time between the TTF group and the control group was HR 0.75 ([95%CI 0.63 to 0.89]; P = 0.001). Pooled 1-year overall survival rate and incidence of cutaneous toxicity were 0.47 and 0.48, respectively. Data were insufficient to evaluate the effect of MGMT methylation status and tumor recurrence times on heterogeneity. CONCLUSIONS: TTF therapy is effective for recurrent glioblastoma. However, most relevant trials should assess rGBM patient baseline characteristics such as age, KPS, MGMT methylation status, and number of tumor recurrence,. In addition, the risk of rashes caused by long-term wearing of devices should also be considered.

Ticagrelor for prevention of stroke and cognitive impairment in patients with vascular high-risk factors: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: In recent randomized controlled studies, the prevention of stroke and cognitive function of ticagrelor has been controversial. We conducted a meta-analysis to compare ticagrelor with other antiplatelet treatment in patients with vascular high-risk factors disease, defined as acute coronary syndrome, stroke or transient ischemic attack, coronary artery disease or peripheral artery disease. METHODS: We searched the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane libraries for published randomized controlled trials and additional available data from ClinicalTrials.gov. The primary outcome was related adverse stroke events and the secondary outcome was cognitive function related adverse events. The outcomes were statistically analyzed using Peto odds ratio. RESULTS: 12 RCTs with 105,654 patients were included in meta-analysis. PRIMARY OUTCOMES: all stroke (OR 0.84, 95%CI 0.78-0.90, P < 0.001); Secondary outcomes: ischemic stroke (OR 0.83, 95%CI 0.77-0.90, P < 0.001), transient ischemic attack (OR 0.78, 95%CI 0.62-0.97, P = 0.029), intracranial hemorrhage (OR 1.33, 95%CI 1.09-1.61, P = 0.005), Parkinson's disease (OR 0.30, 95%CI 0.12-0.72, P = 0.007), dementia (OR 0.31, 95%CI 0.13-0.77, P = 0.012), dizziness (OR: 1.39, 95%CI 1.03-1.87, P = 0.032), insomnia (OR 1.45, 95%CI 1.05-2.00, P = 0.026). CONCLUSIONS: Ticagrelor may provide more favorable outcomes for all stroke, ischemic stroke, and transient ischemic attack prevention in patients with vascular high-risk factors. However, this benefit may come with the cost of intracranial hemorrhage, dizziness and insomnia. Ticagrelor may reduce the risk of dementia and Parkinson's disease, although available data are limited.

Development and Validation of Prognostic Nomogram in Patients With WHO Grade III Meningioma: A Retrospective Cohort Study Based on SEER Database.

INTRODUCTION: World Health Organization (WHO) Grade III meningioma is a central nervous system tumor with a poor prognosis. In this retrospective cohort study, the authors constructed a nomogram for predicting the prognosis of WHO Grade III meningioma. METHODS: The patients of this nomogram were based on the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database between 2000 and 2018. All patients were randomly divided into a development cohort (964 patients) and a validation cohort (410 patients) in a 7:3 ratio. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression was used to screen the predictors. The Cox hazards regression model was constructed and the prognosis was visualized by nomogram. The performance of the prognostic nomogram was determined by consistency index (C-index), clinical net benefit, and calibration. RESULTS: Eight variables were included in the nomogram: gender, race, age at diagnosis, histology, tumor site, tumor size, laterality, and surgical method. The C-index of the training set and verification set were 0.654 and 0.628. The calibration plots showed that the nomogram was in good agreement with the actual observation. The clinical decision curve indicates that the nomogram has a good clinical net benefit in WHO Grade III meningioma. CONCLUSIONS: A prognostic nomogram of a large cohort of WHO Grade III meningioma was established and verified based on the SEER database. The nomogram we established may help clinicians provide personalized treatment services and clinical decisions for patients.

Development and validation of prognostic nomogram in ependymoma: A retrospective analysis of the SEER database.

BACKGROUND: The prognostic factors for survival in patients with ependymoma (EPN) remain controversial. The aim of this study was to establish a prognostic model for 5- and 10-year survival probability nomograms for patients with EPN. METHODS: Clinical data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database were used for patients diagnosed with ependymoma between 2000 and 2018 and were randomized 7:3 into a development set and a validation set. Factors significantly associated with prognosis were screened out using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression. The calibration chart and consistency index (C-index) are used to evaluate the discrimination and consistency of the prediction model. Decision curve analysis (DCA) was used to further evaluate the established model. Finally, prognostic factors selected by LASSO regression were evaluated using Kaplan-Meier (KM) survival curves. RESULTS: A total of 3820 patients were included in the prognostic model. Seven survival predictors were obtained by LASSO regression screening, including age, gender, morphology, location, size, laterality, and resection. The prognostic model of the nomogram showed moderate discriminative ability in the development group and the validation group, with a C-index of 0.642 and 0.615, respectively. In the development set and validation set survival curves, the prognosis index of high risk was less effective than low risk (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our nomograms may play an important role in predicting 5 and 10-year outcomes for patients with ependymoma. This will help assist clinicians in personalized medicine.