Journal of Neuro-Oncology

This paper describes the current techniques for intraventricular drug administration in patients with meningiosis. Advantages and disadvantages of different reservoir systems, the standard implantation procedure and more recently developed image-guided techniques are discussed. In patients with slit ventricles, the CT-based stereotactic approach is recommended for reservoir implantation.

Early tumor growth, or increased contrast-enhancing tumor not related to evolving post-surgical injury, in the interval between surgical resection and initiation of radiotherapy has implications for treatment planning and clinical outcomes. In this study we evaluated the incidence of early tumor growth, correlated tumor growth with survival outcome measures, and assessed predictors of early tumor growth in glioblastoma. We reviewed the records of patients with newly-diagnosed glioblastoma who underwent surgical resection and chemoradiotherapy at our institution. Patients with preoperative, immediate postoperative, and preradiotherapy MRI were included. Conventional MRI and DWI features were assessed. The correlation between early tumor growth and extent of resection with survival was assessed with Kaplan–Meier analysis. Logistic regression was carried out to evaluate predictors of early tumor growth. Of 140 included patients, sixty-seven cases (48%) had new or increased contrast enhancement attributed to early tumor growth. Median progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were shorter in patients with early tumor growth compared to those without early tumor growth (p < 0.001 for both). Additionally, PFS and OS were longer in patients who underwent gross total resection of enhancing tumor (p = 0.016 and <0.001, respectively). Of the evaluated predictors of early growth, subtotal resection was most likely to result in early growth (p < 0.001). Imaging evidence of early tumor growth is often observed at preradiotherapy MRI and is associated with shorter survival. Gross total resection of contrast enhancing tumor decreases likelihood of early tumor growth.

Striae distensae (stretch marks) are a common complication seen in patients on chronic corticosteroid therapy. Under certain circumstances, primary brain tumor patients require chronic corticosteroid therapy and can suffer from striae distensae. Bevacizumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody to vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) is now more widely used for the treatment of primary brain tumors. In this paper, we present four cases of ulcerated striae distensae in primary brain tumor patients on concurrent corticosteroid and bevacizumab therapy. Because of bevacizumab’s effects on wound healing and its recent accelerated approval for recurrent glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most common malignant primary brain tumor in adults, this novel skin complication should be considered in patients on concurrent corticosteroid and bevacizumab therapy.

This study was designed to display the molecular genetic features of short-term survivors in glioblastomas with oligodendroglioma component (GBMO). A total of 186 patients with histological diagnosis of primary gliomas, including 11 GBMO-STS (short-term survivors, survival ≤12 months), 29 GBMO-LTS (relatively long-term survivors, survival >12 months), 36 anaplastic oligoastrocytoma (AOA) and 110 glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), enrolled in the study. An evaluation form was developed and used to document molecular pathological, clinical and treatment-associated parameters between subgroups. Kaplan–Meier plots for survival showed that the median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) of GBMO-STS were 5.0 and 10.0 months, respectively. Intergroup comparison revealed that the GBMO-STS harbored the most dismal prognosis than those with AOA, GBMO-LTS or GBM (P < 0.001 for PFS, P < 0.001 for OS, respectively). Cox regression analyses revealed that 1p/19q co-deletion and 19p polysomy were independent prognostic factors (P < 0.05). Pearson’s Chi square test demonstrated GBMO-STS exhibited lower 1p/19q co-deletion, IDH1 mutation rates than AOA or GBMO-LTS (P = 0.032, P = 0.045 for 1p/19q co-deletion; P = 0.034, P = 0.005 for IDH1 mutation, respectively) but higher chromosome 1q, 19p polysomy rates compared with AOA or GBM (P = 0.037, P = 0.030 for 1q polysomy; P = 0.017, P = 0.011 for 19p polysomy, respectively). Patients with glioblastomas with oligodendroglioma component concurrent with polysomy for chromosomes 1 and 19 always confers an unfavorable prognosis which needs our extra attention in clinic.

Pineal parenchymal tumors comprise a rare group of primary neoplasms of the pineal gland. We describe a case involving a 29-year-old woman who presented with signs and symptoms of hydrocephalus secondary to a pineal region tumor obstructing the third ventricle. Surgical resection was performed and pathological analysis revealed a novel diagnosis consistent with a pineal parenchymal tumor of intermediate differentiation (PPTID) with transition to a papillary tumor of the pineal region (PTPR). To our knowledge, this particular pineal region tumor pathology has not yet been reported in the literature and highlights the continuum with which primary pineal tumors exist. We provide a review of the existing literature on pineal region tumors, specifically PTPR and PPTID, and offer insight into the management of these rare neoplasms.

Glioblastoma is the commonest neuroectodermal tumor and the most malignant in the range of cerebral astrocytic gliomas. The prognostic utility of various biological markers for glioblastomas has been broadly tested but the results obtained are regarded as controversial. In the present study, 302 glioblastoma specimens were studied to evaluate a possible association between clinical outcome and expression of some immunohistochemical variables. Furthermore, tumors examined were subdivided on the three cytological subsets – small-cell (SGB), pleomorphic-cell (PGB) and gemistocytic (GGB). Immunohistochemical variables differed between various subsets: the number of p53-positive tumors was found to be prevailed among the PGB, whereas the number of tumors with EGFR and mdm2 positivity was significantly greater in SGB. GGB contained significantly lowest mean proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) labeling index (LI), greater number of p21ras positive cases, and higher mean apoptotic index (AI). Survival time in patients with SGB, EGFR and mdm2-positivity and PCNA LI >40% was found to be significantly shorter, whereas presence of p21ras and AI >0.5% were associated with prolonged survival. Multivariate analysis revealed that survival time is associated with SGB, EGFR-positivity, and AI (p = 0.0023, p = 0.0035 and p = 0.0029 respectively). We conclude that although some immunohistochemical variables were found to be significant for glioblastoma outcome, they appear to be closely related to biology of single cytological subsets. Furthermore, these variables exhibited no prognostic value when they were analyzed within each cytological subset separately. Therefore, the glioblastoma subdivision on three cytological subsets proposed by us is carrying some element of rationality but, undoubtedly, requires further prospective studies.