What is the role of the subventricular zone in radiotherapy of glioblastoma patients?

Highlights: • Patients with glioblastoma lesions in contact with the subventricular zone show worse overall survival. • Irradiation of the subventricular zone does not improve progression-free or overall survival. • Confirmatory prospective trials are needed. Current glioblastoma (GBM) therapies prolong survival, but overall prognosis is still poor. Irradiation of the subventricular zone (SVZ) has recently been discussed as a promising concept as this tissue harbors stem cells which seem to play a role in the initiation and recurrence of GBM. In this study, we retrospectively examined the relationship of SVZ irradiation dose and survival in a large, homogeneous GBM patient cohort.