Top Line: Prior to IDH mutation and 1p/19q codeletion testing for low grade gliomas, prognostication relied on clinical and pathologic factors, and increasing age was consistently an independent predictor of survival.
The Study: Based on analyses of RTOG and EORTC trials, age >40 years became embedded as a high risk factor in the respective risk stratification schemes for low grade glioma. Was age simply a good surrogate for molecular high risk tumors, or is age still independently prognostic in molecularly categorized LGGs? In this study, data from 2911 patients with LGG from two large prospective cohorts was used to determine if age was associated with outcomes based on IDH mutation status. They found that age retained some prognostic value, but only for those with IDH-wt tumors. In fact, worse prognosis IDH-wt tumors were much more common among patients over 40 (38% v 5%). Among those with IDH-wt tumors, age over 40 was associated with worse 5-year PFS (6% v 24%), and older patients had higher rates of adverse molecular features such as EGFR amplification (41% v 15%) and TERT promoter mutation (65% v 28%). Among those with IDH-mutated gliomas, age was not significantly associated with survival.
TBL: Age is not associated with prognosis for molecularly defined, IDH-mutated low grade gliomas. | Kinslow, J Clin Oncol 2026
The Study: Based on analyses of RTOG and EORTC trials, age >40 years became embedded as a high risk factor in the respective risk stratification schemes for low grade glioma. Was age simply a good surrogate for molecular high risk tumors, or is age still independently prognostic in molecularly categorized LGGs? In this study, data from 2911 patients with LGG from two large prospective cohorts was used to determine if age was associated with outcomes based on IDH mutation status. They found that age retained some prognostic value, but only for those with IDH-wt tumors. In fact, worse prognosis IDH-wt tumors were much more common among patients over 40 (38% v 5%). Among those with IDH-wt tumors, age over 40 was associated with worse 5-year PFS (6% v 24%), and older patients had higher rates of adverse molecular features such as EGFR amplification (41% v 15%) and TERT promoter mutation (65% v 28%). Among those with IDH-mutated gliomas, age was not significantly associated with survival.
TBL: Age is not associated with prognosis for molecularly defined, IDH-mutated low grade gliomas. | Kinslow, J Clin Oncol 2026