Accumulating evidence demonstrates that pre-surgical serum
lipid levels are linked to the clinical outcome of different types of human malignant
tumors, but few studies have explored the prognostic value of these easily accessible parameters in
glioblastoma. The aim of the current study was to validate the association between pre-surgical serum
lipid levels and the clinical outcome of patients with
glioblastoma. The pre-surgical serum
lipid levels (
triglycerides, total
cholesterol,
high-density lipoprotein [
HDL] cholesterol, and
low-density lipoprotein [
LDL] cholesterol) of 125 patients with
glioblastoma, who underwent surgery between January 2015 and May 2016, were retrospectively evaluated. The correlation between pre-surgical serum
lipid levels and overall survival (OS) was examined using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards regression model. Univariate analysis showed that
lipids associated with OS were total
cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and
LDL cholesterol levels. Results of multivariate analysis identified
LDL cholesterol level as an independent prognostic factor for OS in patients with
glioblastoma (hazard ratio: 0.412; 95% confidence interval: 0.211-0.801; P = 0.009). Total
cholesterol and
HDL cholesterol levels were predictive factors only in univariate analysis, but not in multivariate analysis. The current study demonstrated that pre-surgical serum
LDL cholesterol level is an independent prognostic factor for clinical outcomes of patients with
glioblastoma. Pre-surgical serum
LDL cholesterol level might provide valuable prognostic information for patients with
glioblastoma that could be applied in clinical practice.