Surgical Site Infections after glioblastoma surgery: results of a multicentric retrospective study

International audience; Background The effects of surgical site infections (SSI) after glioblastoma surgery on patient outcomes are understudied.The aim of this retrospective multicenter study was to evaluate the impact of SSI on the survival of glioblastoma patients.Methods Data from SSI cases after glioblastoma surgeries between 2009 and 2016 were collected from 14 French neurosurgicalcenters. Collected data included patient demographics, previous medical history, risk factors, details of the surgicalprocedure, radiotherapy/chemotherapy, infection characteristics, and infection management. Similar data were collectedfrom gender- and age-paired control individuals.Results We used the medical records of 77 SSI patients and 58 control individuals. 13 were excluded. Our analyses includeddata from 64 SSI cases and 58 non-infected glioblastoma patients. Infections occurred after surgery for primary tumors in 38cases (group I) and after surgery for a recurrent tumor in 26 cases (group II). Median survival was 381, 633, and 547 daysin patients of group I, group II, and the control group, respectively. Patients in group I had significantly shorter survivalcompared to the other two groups (p < 0.05). The one-year survival rate of patients who developed infections after surgeryfor primary tumors was 50%. Additionally, we found that SSIs led to postoperative treatment discontinuation in 30% of thepatients.Discussion Our findings highlighted the severity of SSIs after glioblastoma surgery, as they significantly affect patientsurvival. The establishment of preventive measures, as well as guidelines for the management of SSIs, is of high clinicalimportance.