Evaluating the prognostic role of allergy and atopy in glioblastoma patients: a retrospective study

Summary. Introduction. The prognostic potential of history of allergy and atopy in glioblastoma (GBM) patients has been poorly evaluated until now. In the present work, we studied the association between history of allergy/atopy and survival length in a cohort of GBM patients. We also evaluated the association between already suggested demographic, anamnestic, clinicopathologic and molecular prognostic variables for GBM and survival. Methods. The study was conducted retrospectively on a cohort of 145 patients diagnosed with GBM between 2015 and 2021. Data were retrieved from clinical charts. Information on history of allergy and atopy was self-reported. Results. Median overall survival was 9.1 months (IQR 4.3-17). Patients with positive history of allergic/atopic diseases were 33 (22.8%). From univariable analysis, patients with allergies had a longer survival time than those with no allergies; however, this result was not statistically significant (HR:0.72; 95%CI 0.49-1.07). Instead, from multivariable analysis, patients aged ≥65 years resulted to have a shorter survival than the others; (HR:2.10; 95%CI 1.35-2.84), while an increased survival length is observed for patient who underwent tumor surgical resection (HR:0.46; 95%CI 0.30-0.72) and receiving adjuvant therapy (HR:0.25; 95%CI 0.17-0.38). Conclusion: Although the result was not statistically significant, we found a trend of protective effect of allergies/atopies in GBM patients. In addition, the study confirmed positive effects on GBM survival of some well-known variables, such as surgical resection, adjuvant therapy, and age.