Contribution of Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields) to survival outcomes in newly diagnosed glioblastoma: A multicenter retrospective study

Purpose: Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields) have been approved by the Chinese National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) for the treatment of recurrent glioblastoma. EF-14 trial has demonstrated that TTFields could improve overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in the newly diagnosed glioblastoma. However, there was a paucity of clinical evidence to support the application of TTFields in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma in China. Method: Between 2020 and 2022, a total of 111 patients initially diagnosed with glioblastoma were enrolled in this study. After propensity score matching (PSM), 93 patients were eventually matched to the analysis, 31 patients in the TTF group and 62 patients in the control group. We compared two cohorts of patients in baseline characteristics and OS. Forest plots were utilized to show the differences between different subgroups. Kaplan–Meier curves were used to show the correlation of the duration of TTFields to OS. Results:Patients in the TTFields group exhibited significantly better survival outcomes compared to those in the control group (median OS: 30.0 months versus 21.9 months, [Formula: see text]). Exploratory subgroup analyses revealed that patients with factors of wild-type Isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) 1/2 and low ki-67 index may favor more from TTFields. The median duration of electric field treatment was 7.5 months. However, there was no statistically significant difference in OS between patients who used longer than 7.5 months and less than 7.5 months. Conclusion:In our study, TTFields do improve Survival Outcomes in Newly Diagnosed Glioblastoma, especially in patients with factors of wild-type IDH1/2 and low ki-67 index. Our findings indicate that TTFields improve survival outcomes in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma, particularly those with wild-type IDH1/2 and low Ki-67 index. Further research is warranted to determine the optimal duration of TTFields therapy.