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Neuro-oncology Practice Dec 2016Gliomas are rare, with a dismal outcome and an obvious impact on quality of life, because of neurological, physical and cognitive problems, as well as personality and... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Gliomas are rare, with a dismal outcome and an obvious impact on quality of life, because of neurological, physical and cognitive problems, as well as personality and behavioral changes. These latter changes may affect the lives of both patients and their relatives in a profound way, but it is unclear how often this occurs and to what extent.
METHODS
We performed a systematic review to determine the prevalence of changes in personality and behavior in glioma patients. Searches were conducted in PubMed/Medline, PsycINFO, Cochrane, CINAHL and Embase. Based on predetermined in- and exclusion criteria, papers were screened for eligibility. Information on the topics of interest were extracted from the full-text papers.
RESULTS
The search yielded 9895 papers, of which 18 were found to be eligible; 9 qualitative and 9 quantitative studies. The reported prevalence rates of changes in personality and/or behavior varied from 8%-67% in glioma patients, and was 100% in a case series with bilateral gliomas. Moreover, these changes were associated with distress and a lower quality of life of patients as well as informal caregivers. Methods of measurement of personality and behavioral changes differed considerably, as did the description of these changes.
CONCLUSION
To determine the true prevalence of changes in behavior and personality, present but poorly labeled in the reported studies, prospective studies are needed using proper definitions of personality and behavioral changes and validated measurement tools. Ultimately, these findings may result in improved supportive care of both patients and caregivers, during the disease trajectory.
PubMed: 31386058
DOI: 10.1093/nop/npv040 -
Seizure Oct 2021Diverse neuronal antibodies are related to autoimmune encephalitis (AE) and AE-related epilepsy. However, the epidemiological characteristics of AE, AE-associated... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
Diverse neuronal antibodies are related to autoimmune encephalitis (AE) and AE-related epilepsy. However, the epidemiological characteristics of AE, AE-associated antibodies, and AE-related seizures are still unclear.
AIMS
This research evaluated the relationship between AE, AE-related seizures, and neuronal antibodies, as well as the morbidity of AE with early incidence.
METHODS
The PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, and Web of Science databases were searched. Pooled estimates and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using a random-effects model.
RESULTS
Of the 4,869 citations identified, 100 articles were reviewed in full, and 42 subgroups were analyzed. The overall incidence of AE patients with seizures was 42% (95% CI: 0.40-0.44), and among them, the incidence of epilepsy in anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) encephalitis patients was 73% (95% CI: 0.70-0.77). Subsequently, we found that the prevalence of AE as the cause of epilepsy within the pooled period was 1% (95% CI: 0.01-0.02), while the overall positive rate of neuronal antibodies in epilepsy patients was 4% (95% CI: 0.03-0.05). Additionally, the detection rates of different antibodies among epilepsy patients were as follows: anti-NMDAR, 1%; anti-leucine-rich glioma inactivated 1 (LGI1), 1%; anti-contactin-associated protein-like 2 (CASPR2), 2%.
CONCLUSION
Based on our findings, neuronal antibodies may serve as a bridge to study AE and immune-related epilepsy. To further understand the differences in outcomes following different treatment measures, and to provide more information for public health policy and prevention, more research is needed to improve the accuracy of estimations.
Topics: Anti-N-Methyl-D-Aspartate Receptor Encephalitis; Autoantibodies; Encephalitis; Epilepsy; Hashimoto Disease; Humans
PubMed: 34284303
DOI: 10.1016/j.seizure.2021.07.005 -
Cancer Control : Journal of the Moffitt... 2022Pediatric gliomas represent the most common brain tumor in children and its higher grades are associated with higher recurrence and low survival rate. All therapeutic...
INTRODUCTION
Pediatric gliomas represent the most common brain tumor in children and its higher grades are associated with higher recurrence and low survival rate. All therapeutic modalities are reported to be insufficient to achieve satisfactory result, with follow-up treatment such as adjuvant radiotherapy and chemotherapy recommended to increase survival and hinder tumor progression. Nimotuzumab is a monoclonal antibody that acts as an inhibitor of epidermal growth factor receptor found on the surface of glioma cells and had been studied for its usage in pediatric gliomas in recent years.
METHODS
A systematic review is performed according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. A through literature search was conducted on PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane, and clinicaltrials.gov database. Articles were selected systematically based on the PRISMA protocol and reviewed completely. The relevant data were summarized and discussed. We measured overall survival, progression-free survival, and adverse Events (AE) for nimotuzumab usage as an adjunct therapy in pediatric glioma population.
RESULT
From 5 studies included for qualitative analysis, 151 patients are included with overall survival (OS) that vary from 3.2-22.8 mo, progression-free survival (PFS) from 1.7-21.6 mo, and relatively low serious adverse events (0-21) are recorded. Follow-up ranged from 2.4-66 mo with four studies reporting diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) patients and only one study reporting nimotuzumab usage in pediatric high-grade glioma (HGG) patients with better outcome in HGG patients than DIPG.
CONCLUSION
There are no significant differences in the PFS and OS of nimotuzumab as adjunct therapy for pediatric compared to result of standard therapy in majority of previous studies. There were also no differences in the AE of nimotuzumab for pediatric glioma between studies, and low event of serious adverse events indicating its safety. But still there is an evidence of possible benefit of nimotuzumab as adjuvant therapy in pediatric glioma. We recommend further studies with larger number of patients that may lead to possibly different results. There should also be more studies with better level of evidence to further validate the effect of nimozutumab on pediatric glioma.
Topics: Adolescent; Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; Brain Neoplasms; Brain Stem Neoplasms; Child; Combined Modality Therapy; Glioma; Humans
PubMed: 35191733
DOI: 10.1177/10732748211053927 -
Chinese Clinical Oncology Aug 2022Glioma is the most common intracranial primary malignant tumor, and half of it is glioblastoma. Despite receiving the standard treatment, the prognosis of glioblastoma...
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE
Glioma is the most common intracranial primary malignant tumor, and half of it is glioblastoma. Despite receiving the standard treatment, the prognosis of glioblastoma is still poor and its 5-year survival rate in China is only 9%. In addition, new targeted and immunotherapy therapy and tumor treating fields also have certain curative effects on glioblastoma. To help clinicians and patients make appropriate treatment based on current evidences, we summarize the Chinese guidelines on the management of glioma and review the recent management of glioblastoma.
METHODS
We systematically searched PubMed, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and Wanfang databases to retrieve guidelines on glioma in China published from the establishment of the database to 24 January 2022. We performed a narrative review of current clinical study related to the management of glioblastoma, especially in the surgical, targeted and immunotherapy therapy and tumor treating fields.
KEY CONTENT AND FINDINGS
In this review, 19 guidelines were included, including 8 subclassified as the guideline, 8 subclassified as the consensus and 3 subclassified as the standard. Two guidelines reported the contents of the system search, 4 guidelines are updated, and 9 guidelines reported the source of funding. At present, most clinical trials on the immune and targeted therapy of glioblastoma are ongoing in China.
CONCLUSIONS
China's guidelines still need to be improved in terms of preciseness, applicability and editorial independence. In addition, the cooperation in clinical research of glioblastoma in multiple centers needs to be strengthened in China.
Topics: Brain Neoplasms; China; Databases, Factual; Glioblastoma; Glioma; Humans
PubMed: 36098100
DOI: 10.21037/cco-22-18 -
Neuro-oncology Mar 2023This systematic review provides updated insights, from the published literature in the past 5 years, based on the 2017 European Association of Neuro-Oncology (EANO)...
BACKGROUND
This systematic review provides updated insights, from the published literature in the past 5 years, based on the 2017 European Association of Neuro-Oncology (EANO) guidelines for palliative care in adults with malignant brain tumors. It provides an overview of palliative care options, including during the end-of-life phase for patients with malignant brain tumors.
METHODS
A systematic literature search was conducted from 2016 to 2021 focusing on four main topics: (1) symptom management, (2) caregiver needs, (3) early palliative care, and (4) care in the end-of-life phase. An international panel of palliative care experts in neuro-oncology synthesized the literature and reported the most relevant updates. A total of 140 articles were included.
RESULTS
New insights include that: Hippocampal avoidance and stereotactic radiosurgery results in a lower risk of neurocognitive decline in patients with brain metastases; levetiracetam is more efficacious in reducing seizures than valproic acid as first-line monotherapy antiseizure drug (ASD) in glioma patients; lacosamide and perampanel seem well-tolerated and efficacious add-on ASDs; and a comprehensive framework of palliative and supportive care for high-grade glioma patients and their caregivers was proposed. No pharmacological agents have been shown in randomized controlled trials to significantly improve fatigue or neurocognition.
CONCLUSIONS
Since the 2017 EANO palliative care guidelines, new insights have been reported regarding symptom management and end-of-life care, however, most recommendations remain unchanged. Early palliative care interventions are essential to define goals of care and minimize symptom burden in a timely fashion. Interventional studies that address pain, fatigue, and psychiatric symptoms as well as (the timing of) early palliative care are urgently needed.
Topics: Humans; Adult; Terminal Care; Brain Neoplasms; Glioma; Death; Fatigue
PubMed: 36271873
DOI: 10.1093/neuonc/noac216 -
Frontiers in Nutrition 2022Gliomas are the most common primary intracranial tumors in adults. Inappropriate dietary habits are thought to be a risk factor for most human cancer, and glioma is no...
BACKGROUND
Gliomas are the most common primary intracranial tumors in adults. Inappropriate dietary habits are thought to be a risk factor for most human cancer, and glioma is no exception. However, the effect of dietary factors on glioma is not clear.
OBJECTIVE
This review aims to quantitatively evaluate the association between various dietary intakes and glioma using a meta-analysis.
METHODS
We searched articles on PubMed, the Cochrane Library, the Web of Science, and EMBASE from their inception until October 11, 2021. According to heterogeneity, the fixed-effects or random-effects model was selected to obtain the relative risk (RR) of merger. Based on the methods described by Greenland and Longnecker, we explored the dose-response relationship between dietary intakes and the risk of glioma. Subgroup analysis, sensitivity analysis, and publication bias were also used.
RESULTS
This study reviewed 33 articles, including 3,606,015 controls and 8,831 patients with glioma. This study included 12 food groups. Compared with the lowest intakes, the highest intakes of tea ( = 0.82, 95%CI:0.71-0.93), total vegetables ( = 0.84, 95%CI: 0.70-1.00), green vegetables ( = 0.80, 95%CI: 0.66-0.98), and orange vegetables ( = 0.79, 95%CI: 0.66-0.96) significantly reduced the risk of glioma, while the highest intakes of grains (RR = 1.39, 95%CI: 1.16-1.66), processed meats (RR = 1.19, 95%CI: 1.00-1.42), and processed fish (RR = 1.37, 95%CI: 1.03-1.84) significantly increased the risk of glioma. The results of subgroup and sensitivity analyses remained unchanged. In the dose-response relationship, only tea was statistically significant. Taking an extra cup of tea every day reduced the risk of glioma by 4%.
CONCLUSIONS
Our analysis suggests that the intakes of tea, total vegetables, green vegetables, and orange vegetables may reduce the risk of glioma, while the intakes of grains, processed meats, and processed fish may increase the risk of glioma. Therefore, the effect of dietary factors on glioma should not be ignored. https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, CRD42022296658.
PubMed: 35237646
DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2022.834258 -
Neurosurgical Review Nov 2023Neurosurgical pathologies in pregnancy pose significant complications for the patient and fetus, and physiological stressors during anesthesia and surgery may lead to... (Review)
Review
Neurosurgical pathologies in pregnancy pose significant complications for the patient and fetus, and physiological stressors during anesthesia and surgery may lead to maternal and fetal complications. Awake craniotomy (AC) can preserve neurological functions while reducing exposure to anesthetic medications. We reviewed the literature investigating AC during pregnancy. PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases were searched from the inception to February 7th, 2023, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guideline. Studies in English investigating AC in pregnant patients were included in the final analysis. Nine studies composed of nine pregnant patients and ten fetuses (one twin-gestating patient) were included. Glioma was the most common pathology reported in six (66.7%) patients. The frontal lobe was the most involved region (4 cases, 44.4%), followed by the frontoparietal region (2 cases, 22.2%). The awake-awake-awake approach was the most common protocol in seven (77.8%) studies. The shortest operation time was two hours, whereas the longest one was eight hours and 29 min. The mean gestational age at diagnosis was 13.6 ± 6.5 (2-22) and 19.6 ± 6.9 (9-30) weeks at craniotomy. Seven (77.8%) studies employed intraoperative fetal heart rate monitoring. None of the AC procedures was converted to general anesthesia. Ten healthy babies were delivered from patients who underwent AC. In experienced hands, AC for resection of cranial lesions of eloquent areas in pregnant patients is safe and feasible and does not alter the pregnancy outcome.
Topics: Female; Humans; Pregnancy; Brain Neoplasms; Wakefulness; Craniotomy; Glioma; Anesthesia, General
PubMed: 37910275
DOI: 10.1007/s10143-023-02187-x -
Journal of Neuro-oncology Aug 2018This review aims to summarize challenges in clinical management of concomitant gliomas and pregnancy and provides suggestions for this management based on current...
INTRODUCTION
This review aims to summarize challenges in clinical management of concomitant gliomas and pregnancy and provides suggestions for this management based on current literature.
METHODS
PubMed and Embase databases were systematically searched for studies on glioma and pregnancy. Observational studies and articles describing expert opinions on clinical management were included. The strength of evidence was categorized as arguments from observational studies, consensus in expert opinions, or single expert opinions. Risk of bias was assessed by the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS).
RESULTS
27 studies were selected, including 316 patients with newly diagnosed (n = 202) and known (n = 114) gliomas during pregnancy. The median sample size was 6 (range 1-65, interquartile range 1-9). Few recommendations originated from observational studies; the remaining arguments originated from consensus in expert opinions.
CONCLUSION
Findings from observational studies of adequate quality include (1) There is no known effect of pregnancy on survival in low-grade glioma patients; (2) Pregnancy can provoke clinical deterioration and tumor growth on MRI; (3) In stable women at term, there is no benefit of cesarean section over vaginal delivery, with respect to adverse events in mother or child. Unanswered questions include when pregnancy should be discouraged, what best monitoring schedule is for both mother and fetus, and if and how chemo- and radiation therapy can be safely administered during pregnancy. A multicenter individual patient level meta-analysis collecting granular information on clinical management and related outcomes is needed to provide scientific evidence for clinical decision-making in pregnant glioma patients.
Topics: Brain Neoplasms; Female; Glioma; Humans; Observational Studies as Topic; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications, Neoplastic
PubMed: 29623596
DOI: 10.1007/s11060-018-2851-3 -
Brain Sciences May 2022: Ever since the discovery of tumor-associated immune cells, there has been growing interest in the understanding of the mechanisms underlying the crosstalk between... (Review)
Review
: Ever since the discovery of tumor-associated immune cells, there has been growing interest in the understanding of the mechanisms underlying the crosstalk between these cells and tumor cells. A "seed and soil" approach has been recently introduced to describe the glioblastoma (GBM) landscape: tumor microenvironments act as fertile "soil" and interact with the "seed" (glial and stem cells compartment). In the following article, we provide a systematic review of the current evidence pertaining to the characterization of glioma-associated macrophages and microglia (GAMs) and microglia and macrophage cells in the glioma tumor microenvironment (TME). An online literature search was launched on PubMed Medline and Scopus using the following research string: "((Glioma associated macrophages OR GAM OR Microglia) AND (glioblastoma tumor microenvironment OR TME))". The last search for articles pertinent to the topic was conducted in February 2022. The search of the literature yielded a total of 349 results. A total of 235 studies were found to be relevant to our research question and were assessed for eligibility. Upon a full-text review, 58 articles were included in the review. The reviewed papers were further divided into three categories based on their focus: (1) Microglia maintenance of immunological homeostasis and protection against autoimmunity; (2) Microglia crosstalk with dedifferentiated and stem-like glioblastoma cells; (3) Microglia migratory behavior and its activation pattern. Aggressive growth, inevitable recurrence, and scarce response to immunotherapies are driving the necessity to focus on the GBM TME from a different perspective to possibly disentangle its role as a fertile 'soil' for tumor progression and identify within it feasible therapeutic targets. Against this background, our systematic review confirmed microglia to play a paramount role in promoting GBM progression and relapse after treatments. The correct and extensive understanding of microglia-glioma crosstalk could help in understanding the physiopathology of this complex disease, possibly opening scenarios for improvement of treatments.
PubMed: 35741603
DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12060718 -
Journal of Nanobiotechnology Aug 2023Lymph nodes targeted drug delivery is an attractive approach to improve cancer immunotherapy outcomes. Currently, the depth of understanding of afferent and efferent... (Review)
Review
Lymph nodes targeted drug delivery is an attractive approach to improve cancer immunotherapy outcomes. Currently, the depth of understanding of afferent and efferent arms in brain immunity reveals the potential clinical applications of lymph node targeted drug delivery in brain tumors, e.g., glioblastoma. In this work, we systematically reviewed the microenvironment of glioblastoma and its structure as a basis for potential immunotherapy, including the glial-lymphatic pathway for substance exchange, the lymphatic drainage pathway from meningeal lymphatic vessels to deep cervical lymph nodes that communicate intra- and extracranial immunity, and the interaction between the blood-brain barrier and effector T cells. Furthermore, the carriers designed for lymph nodes targeted drug delivery were comprehensively summarized. The challenges and opportunities in developing a lymph nodes targeted delivery strategy for glioblastoma using nanotechnology are included at the end.
Topics: Humans; Glioblastoma; Lymph Nodes; Brain Neoplasms; Brain; Drug Delivery Systems; Tumor Microenvironment
PubMed: 37542241
DOI: 10.1186/s12951-023-02011-0