Background: Maximizing extent of resection (EOR) improves outcomes in adults with World Health Organization (WHO) grade II low-grade gliomas (LGG). However, recent studies demonstrate that LGGs bearing a mutation in the isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) gene are a distinct molecular and clinical entity. It remains unclear whether maximizing EOR confers an equivalent clinical benefit in IDH mutated (mtIDH) and IDH wild-type (wtIDH) LGGs.
Objective: To assess the impact of EOR on malignant progression-free survival (MPFS) and overall survival (OS) in mtIDH and wtIDH LGGs.
Methods: We performed a retrospective review of 74 patients with WHO grade II gliomas and known IDH mutational status undergoing resection at a single institution. EOR was assessed with quantitative 3-dimensional volumetric analysis. The effect of predictor variables on MPFS and OS was analyzed with Cox regression models and the Kaplan-Meier method.
Results: Fifty-two (70%) mtIDH patients and 22 (30%) wtIDH patients were included. Median preoperative tumor volume was 37.4 cm3; median EOR of 57.6% was achieved. Univariate Cox regression analysis confirmed EOR as a prognostic factor for the entire cohort. However, stratifying by IDH status demonstrates that greater EOR independently prolonged MPFS and OS for wtIDH patients (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.002 [95% confidence interval {CI} 0.000-0.074] and HR = 0.001 [95% CI 0.00-0.108], respectively), but not for mtIDH patients (HR = 0.84 [95% CI 0.17-4.13] and HR = 2.99 [95% CI 0.15-61.66], respectively).
Conclusion: Increasing EOR confers oncologic and survival benefits in IDH1 wtLGGs, but the impact on IDH1 mtLGGs requires further study.