Understanding the difference in symptoms and outcomes between glioblastoma patients diagnosed based on histological or molecular criteria: a retrospective cohort analysis from the Histo-Mol GBM collaborative (original) (raw)

David Robinson, Stephen, Kingdon, Sarah, Therese Williams, Sophie, Scott Hill, Ciaran, Williams, Matthew, Chandy, Edward, Critchley, Giles and Histo-Mol GBM collaborative, . ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3199-0038(2026) Understanding the difference in symptoms and outcomes between glioblastoma patients diagnosed based on histological or molecular criteria: a retrospective cohort analysis from the Histo-Mol GBM collaborative.Journal of Neuro-Oncology, 176(2), 157. (doi: 10.1007/s11060-025-05364-8) (PMID:41504931) (PMCID:PMC12783167)

Abstract

Purpose: Since the 2021 World Health Organisation (WHO) classification, glioblastoma could be diagnosed based on classical histological features (hGBM) or molecular criteria (mGBM). However, prior studies included patients who required reclassification as a mGBM, potentially biasing survival analyses. The Histo-Mol GBM collaborative performed an international multicentre retrospective real-world cohort study of glioblastoma patients diagnosed according to WHO CNS 5. Methods: We identified consecutive patients diagnosed in 2021 with IDH wildtype glioblastoma according to WHO CNS 5. Clinicopathological, treatment, and survival data were collected and compared between mGBM and hGBM. Results: 1828 patients diagnosed with glioblastoma were included. 75 mGBM patients (8.4% of tested patients) were identified, with no difference in age (median 61 vs 64, p = 0.057), gender (p = 0.937), or proportion with performance status 0–1 (82.7% vs 68.3%, p = 0.052) compared to hGBM. mGBM patients had an extended interval from MRI to surgery (median 23 vs 14 days, p < 0.001) and more frequently underwent biopsy (69.3% vs 30.3%, p < 0.001), but equivalent proportions received oncological treatment (80.0% vs 78.7%, p = 0.784). Overall survival (OS) from surgery was not different (p = 0.063). However, OS from initial MRI, stratified by surgical extent, demonstrated improved OS for mGBM patients (hazard ratio (HR) 0.56, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.43–0.73). Propensity score matching identified improved survival following resection (HR 0.48, 95% CI: 0.24–0.95; median OS: 26.0 versus 14.0 months, p = 0.031) but not biopsy (HR 1.10, 95% CI: 0.71–1.72). Conclusion: In this large real-world cohort, mGBMs had longer OS than hGBMs following resection with implications for prognostication and clinical decision making.

Item Type: Articles
Additional Information: Dr Stephen David Robinson is funded by a University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust Medical Doctoral Fellowship. Dr Sarah Kingdon is currently supported by the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission Fellowship Programme, funded by Beatson Cancer Charity, NHS Lothian Charity, and the Chief Scientist Office. Mr Ciaran Scott Hill is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre. Professor Giles Critchley was funded by the Neurological Foundation administered through the University of Otago.
Keywords: Glioblastoma, molecular glioblastoma, survival, real-world evidence, histology, classification.
Status: Published
Refereed: Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Lammy, Mr. Simon
Authors: David Robinson, S., Kingdon, S., Therese Williams, S., Scott Hill, C., Williams, M., Chandy, E., Critchley, G., and Histo-Mol GBM collaborative, .
College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Medicine, Dentistry & Nursing
Journal Name: Journal of Neuro-Oncology
Publisher: Springer
ISSN: 0167-594X
ISSN (Online): 1573-7373
Published Online: 08 January 2026
Copyright Holders: Copyright © The Author(s) 2025
First Published: First published in Journal of Neuro-Oncology 176(2):157
Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons licence

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Deposit and Record Details

ID Code: 378685
Depositing User: Mr. Simon Lammy
Datestamp: 10 Feb 2026 10:35
Last Modified: 11 Feb 2026 02:32
Date of acceptance: 1 December 2025
Date of first online publication: 8 January 2026
Date Deposited: 10 February 2026
Data Availability Statement: Yes