PURPOSE: To describe the quality of life (QOL) in elderly patients with 
glioblastoma (GBM) treated with an abbreviated course of radiation therapy (RT; 
40 Gy in 15 fractions) plus concomitant and adjuvant temozolomide (TMZ).
METHODS AND MATERIALS: Health-related QOL (HRQOL) was assessed by European 
Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life 
Questionnaire Core-30 (QLQ-C30, version 3) and EORTC Quality of Life 
Questionnaire Brain Cancer Module (QLQ-BN20). Changes from baseline in the score 
of 9 preselected domains (global QLQ, social functioning, cognitive functioning, 
emotional functioning, physical functioning, motor dysfunction, communication 
deficit, fatigue, insomnia) were determined 4 weeks after RT and thereafter 
every 8 weeks during the treatment until disease progression. The proportion of 
patients with improved HRQOL scores, defined as a change of 10 points or more, 
and duration of changes were recorded.
RESULTS: Sixty-five patients completed the questionnaires at baseline. The 
treatment was consistently associated with improvement or stability in most of 
the preselected HRQOL domains. Global health improved over time; mean score 
differed by 9.6 points between baseline and 6-month follow-up (P=.03). For 
social functioning and cognitive functioning, mean scores improved over time, 
with a maximum difference of 10.4 points and 9.5 points between baseline and 
6-month follow-up (P=.01 and P=.02), respectively. By contrast, fatigue worsened 
over time, with a difference in mean score of 5.6 points between baseline and 
4-month follow-up (P=.02).
CONCLUSIONS: A short course of RT in combination with TMZ in elderly patients 
with GBM was associated with survival benefit without a negative effect on HRQOL 
until the time of disease progression.