Ischemic stroke in patients with gliomas at The University of Texas-M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

Patients with gliomas are at risk of cerebrovascular accidents (CVA) with potential consequences on survival, function, and local tumor control. Our objective was to provide information about CVA in patients with gliomas and to estimate survival in this group. We reviewed all adult glioma patients with ischemic CVA at the University of Texas-M.D. Anderson Cancer Center from 2003 through 2014. We extracted demographic, clinical, imaging, treatment and outcome data. We used descriptive summary data and estimated or compared survival rates where appropriate. 60 of 6500 patients (0.1 %) with high-grade (HGG, n = 47) or low-grade glioma (LGG, n = 13) had ischemic CVA Thirty-two (53 %) patients had postoperative strokes, and 20 (33 %) had CVA after 2 weeks of surgery. Forty-one patients (68 %) had gross total resection. For HGG and CVA, the poststroke median overall survival was 17 months versus 61 months in LGG and CVA (P = 0.03; hazard ratio (HR): 2.8; 95 % CI 1.07–4.60). Survival stratified by modified Rankin Scale grade was significant (X² = 9.8, P = 0.007). Five patients received bevacizumab before stroke onset; none responded to antiangiogenic therapy. There was no stroke-related death. At our institution for 10 years, ischemic CVA in glioma patients was a rare complication, clearly associated in half of cases to surgery, and with a variable negative impact on performance status and neurologic function. In this group, patients with more neurological deficits lived less. The survival difference between and within subgroups was most likely due to tumor grade. More research is necessary to improve prevention of postoperative stroke in glioma patients.