Survival of patients with glioblastoma multiforme treated by intraoperative high‐activity cobalt 60 endocurietherapy

The authors report their initial treatment results in 49 patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GM) who received intraoperative endocurietherapy (ECT) with high‐activity cobalt 60 (⁶⁰Co) probe. Thirty poor prognosis (unresectable tumor) patients (Group I) with newly diagnosed GM were treated by either biopsy or subtotal excision, followed by 20.00‐Gy single‐fraction ⁶⁰Co probe ECT, and 60.00‐Gy external‐beam radiation therapy (EXRT) (80.00 Gy total tumor dose). Nineteen patients (Group II) with recurrent, previously resected and externally irradiated GM were retreated with 20.00‐Gy single‐fraction ⁶⁰Co probe ECT alone. The authors' initial experience with intraoperative ECT of GM is discussed.