Isocitrate Dehydrogenase (IDH) 1/2 Mutations as Prognostic Markers in Patients With Glioblastomas

The purpose of this study was to perform a meta-analysis examining the association of isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) 1/2 mutations with overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with glioblastomas. Medline, Cochrane, EMBASE, and Google Scholar were searched from inception to January 28, 2015, using combinations of the following keywords: IDH mutation, brain tumor, glioma, glioblastoma, oligodendroglioma, prognosis. Randomized controlled trials, and prospective and retrospective studies of patients with glioblastomas that provided IDH mutation and survival data were included. OS and PFS were used to evaluate the association of IDH1 and IDH1/2 mutations and prognosis. Hazard ratios (HRs) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for OS and PFS were calculated and compared between patients with and without mutations. Of 165 studies that were identified, 136 nonrelevant studies were excluded. Twenty-nine full-text articles were assessed, and of these, 5 were excluded as they did not provide a quantitative outcome. Therefore, 24 studies were included in the qualitative synthesis. The pooled HR of 0.358 (95% CI 0.264-0.487, P < 0.001) indicated that IDH mutations were associated with better OS. Similarly, the pooled HR of 0.322 (95% CI 0.24200.455, P < 0.001) indicated that IDH mutations were associated with better PFS. When patients were stratified by surgery versus no surgery or IDH1 versus IDH1/2 mutations, the results also indicated that the presence of IDH mutations was associated with better OS and PFS. The IDH mutations are associated with improved survival in patients with glioblastomas.