Effect of age at the time of illness, tumor grade and Karnofsky value on the therapy result in patients with glioma of the cerebral cortex treated with combined therapy

49 patients with gliomas were investigated by means of life table analysis with regard to the influence of age, grade of the tumor and Karnofsky-score on the result of the treatment. The grade of the tumor and the age are factors of high prognostic value. They significantly influence the survival time of patients with gliomas treated by a combination treatment (operation, radiation, polychemotherapy; median survival times: grade 2: 50.4 months; grade 3: 28.5 months; grade 4: 18.9 months; group younger than 40 years: 49.2 months; older than 40 years: 21.9 months). Patients with different Karnofsky-scores show no differences concerning their median survival times (Karnofsky-score 50-70: 34.2 months; 80-100: 31.8 months).