Temporalis Muscle Thickness as a Prognostic Factor for 30-Day, 90-Day, and Overall Mortality in Newly Diagnosed Glioblastoma.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2-2026

Publication Title

Cureus

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common primary malignant brain tumor in adults. Accurate prognostic biomarkers are needed to guide care and treatment pathways across the spectrum of age. Temporal muscle thickness (TMT) is an accessible parameter that has been recognized as a prognostic marker for GBM. In addition, frailty, as measured by sarcopenia, has been proven to predict overall survival in other oncologic processes.

OBJECTIVE: We evaluated whether sarcopenia, as measured by temporalis muscle thickness, has prognostic value for predicting survival in GBM. We aimed to confirm its prognostic accuracy and compare it to other survival markers.

METHODS: A prospective GBM database identified 257 patients undergoing initial diagnostic surgery at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan. Sarcopenia was quantified by temporalis muscle thickness and grouped into tertiles. Mortality hazard ratios were calculated using multivariate analysis.

RESULTS: After multivariate analysis, sarcopenia at the time of initial surgery was the only factor associated with mortality at 30 days postoperatively (OR 0.10,

CONCLUSIONS: Sarcopenia has prognostic value for predicting postoperative 30-day, 90--day, and overall survival from diagnosis in GBM. The frailty/sarcopenia paradigm is independent of patient demographic, oncologic, genetic, surgical, and therapeutic factors. Temporalis muscle thickness assessment provides a simple method to help guide treatment decisions in affected adult populations.

Volume

18

Issue

2

First Page

e103895

Last Page

e103895

DOI

10.7759/cureus.103895

ISSN

2168-8184

PubMed ID

41869180

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