Publications by authors named "Anna-Laura Potthoff"

Glioblastoma cells rely on connexin 43 (Cx43)-based gap junctions (GJs) for intercellular communication, enabling them to integrate into a widely branched malignant network. Although there are promising prospects for new targeted therapies, the lack of clinically feasible GJ inhibitors has impeded their adoption in clinical practice. In the present study, we investigated tonabersat (TO), a blood-brain-barrier-penetrating drug with GJ-inhibitory properties, in regard to its potential to disassemble intercellular connectivity in glioblastoma networks.

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Purpose: Prophylactic insertion of an external ventricular drainage (EVD) prior to the resection of posterior fossa metastases (PFMs) is a common approach to address postoperative transient and permanent hydrocephalus. However, predicting surgery-related hydrocephalus in the preoperative phase continues to be a challenge. This study aims to analyze the incidence, preoperatively collectable risk factors and necessity of perioperative external ventricular drainage placement after posterior fossa metastasis surgery.

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  • The study focused on how visual acuity (VA) recovery affects quality of life in patients who underwent surgery for medial sphenoid wing meningioma (SWM).
  • Out of 153 patients, 35% had preoperative vision issues, with a key finding that those with impairments lasting 4 months or less had better postoperative VA improvements.
  • Results suggested that shorter preoperative visual impairment corresponds with better postoperative health and daily activity outcomes, which can assist in preoperative patient counseling and decision-making.
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Purpose: The rarity of cerebellar glioblastoma presents a significant challenge in clinical practice due to the lack of extensive prognostic data on long-term survival rates, rendering it an underrepresented entity compared to its supratentorial counterpart. This study aims to analyze potential differences in survival outcome between patients with cerebellar and supratentorial glioblastomas.

Methods: From 2009 to 2020, 8 patients underwent surgical treatment for cerebellar glioblastoma at the authors' institution.

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Purpose: Little is known about the effect of SARS-CoV-2 infection on glioblastoma (GBM) growth, metabolism, and prognosis. Immunological changes within GBM tissue are potentially symptomatic, underlining the urgent need for a better understanding of this phenomenon. To date, the complex underlying biology has not been fully elucidated.

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  • Precision oncology involves using targeted drugs based on detailed molecular profiling, significantly changing how cancer is treated, particularly for aggressive tumors like glioblastoma (GBM).* -
  • Current targeted therapies for GBM, especially those aimed at BRAF and VEGFR mutations, show some promise, but overall success rates from systematic screening are low, with many attempts failing due to issues like tumor heterogeneity and poor drug delivery.* -
  • Future advancements in precision oncology for GBM should focus on understanding complex biological pathways, developing better evaluation methods for drugs, ensuring effective drug delivery to the brain, and exploring the roles of tumor microenvironments and immune interactions.*
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Therapeutic management of patients with leptomeningeal carcinomatosis (LC) may require treatment of concomitant hydrocephalus (HC) in addition to intrathecal chemotherapy (ITC). Ventriculoperitoneal shunts (VPS) equipped with a valve for manual deactivation of shunt function and a concomitant reservoir for application of ITC pose an elegant solution to both problems. The present study evaluates indication, feasibility, and safety of such a modified shunt/reservoir design (mS/R).

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In recent years, the discovery of functional and communicative cellular tumour networks has led to a new understanding of malignant primary brain tumours. In this review, the authors shed light on the diverse nature of cell-to-cell connections in brain tumours and propose an innovative treatment approach to address the detrimental connectivity of these networks. The proposed therapeutic outlook revolves around three main strategies: (a) supramarginal resection removing a substantial portion of the communicating tumour cell front far beyond the gadolinium-enhancing tumour mass, (b) morphological isolation at the single cell level disrupting structural cell-to-cell contacts facilitated by elongated cellular membrane protrusions known as tumour microtubes (TMs), and (c) functional isolation at the single cell level blocking TM-mediated intercellular cytosolic exchange and inhibiting neuronal excitatory input into the malignant network.

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Given the demographic change with an aging society in Germany, cognitive performance assessment of the elderly is of great importance. The Viacogscreen developed by us is a computer- and web-based brain performance screening for older adults that not only meets the criteria of a measurement instrument, but is also economical and repeatable. The test captures interlocking word list learning with delayed free recall and recognition, semantic word selection and fluidity, phonemic word fluidity and inverted number range, as well as incidental memory, resulting in a total of 17 performance parameters that provide a quick orientation (approximate test duration: 10-12 minutes) regarding the cognitive performance of a test subject.

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Purpose: Patients with spinal metastases (SM) from solid neoplasms typically exhibit progression to an advanced cancer stage. Such metastases can either develop concurrently with an existing cancer diagnosis (termed metachronous SM) or emerge as the initial indication of an undiagnosed malignancy (referred to as synchronous SM). The present study investigates the prognostic implications of synchronous compared to metachronous SM following surgical resection.

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  • This study examines the optimal timing for cranioplasty (CP) following decompressive craniectomy (DC), focusing on its impact on patient safety and outcomes.
  • A retrospective analysis included 271 patients, finding that a CP performed within 149 days post-DC significantly improved patient recovery as measured by the modified Rankin Scale (mRS).
  • The research concluded that late CP is safe and that better outcomes are tied to additional rehabilitation efforts rather than the timing of the cranioplasty itself.
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Purpose: Intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) has become a viable treatment option for resectable brain metastases (BMs). As data on local control and radiation necrosis rates are maturing, we focus on meaningful secondary endpoints such as time to next treatment (TTNT), duration of postoperative corticosteroid treatment, and in-hospital time.

Methods: Patients prospectively recruited within an IORT study registry between November 2020 and June 2023 were compared with consecutive patients receiving adjuvant stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) of the resection cavity within the same time frame.

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  • - In the CeTeG/NOA-09 trial, the combination of lomustine and temozolomide (CCNU/TMZ) showed better overall survival compared to temozolomide alone in patients with glioblastoma with MGMT promoter methylation, although similar rates of progression-free survival (PFS) were observed in both treatment groups.
  • - The study examined postprogression survival (PPS) and MRI changes at first progression, revealing that patients in the CCNU/TMZ group with long PPS had a notably shorter PFS than those in the TMZ group, indicating potentially unfavorable treatment responses despite longer survival after progression.
  • - Significant MRI changes were noted in the CCNU/TM
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Glioblastoma is the most common and aggressive primary tumor of the central nervous system with poor outcome. Current gold standard treatment is surgical resection followed by a combination of radio- and chemotherapy. Efficacy of temozolomide (TMZ), the primary chemotherapeutic agent, depends on the DNA methylation status of the O6-methylguanine DNA methyltransferase (MGMT), which has been identified as a prognostic biomarker in glioblastoma patients.

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Purpose: Intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) is an emerging alternative to adjuvant stereotactic external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) following resection of brain metastases (BM). Advantages of IORT include an instant prevention of tumor regrowth, optimized dose-sparing of adjacent healthy brain tissue and immediate completion of BM treatment, allowing an earlier admission to subsequent systemic treatments. However, prospective outcome data are limited.

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  • This study looked at patients who had brain surgery for tumors and how going back to the ICU unexpectedly affects their recovery.
  • Out of 353 patients, 19 went back to the ICU, and those who did lived for 2 months on average, while others lived for 13 months.
  • The researchers found that having multiple brain tumors and high levels of a certain protein before surgery made it more likely for patients to need that unplanned ICU visit.
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Surgical procedures with spinal instrumentation constitute a prevalent and occasionally highly indicated treatment modality in patients with pyogenic spondylodiscitis (PSD). However, surgical therapy might be associated with the need of prolonged postoperative intensive care medicine which in turn might impair intended operative benefit. Therefore, we analyzed prolonged mechanical ventilation (PMV) as an indicator variable for such intensive care treatment with regard to potential correlations with mortality in this vulnerable patient cohort.

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Surgical resection is a common treatment modality for brain metastasis (BM). Location of the BM might significantly impact patient survival and therefore might be considered in clinical decision making and patient counseling. In the present study, the authors analyzed infra- and supratentorial BM location for a potential prognostic difference.

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Purpose: Patients with brain metastasis (BM) from solid tumors are in an advanced stage of cancer. BM may occur during a known oncological disease (metachronous BM) or be the primary manifestation of previously unknown cancer (synchronous BM). The time of diagnosis might decisively impact patient prognosis and further treatment stratification.

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Postoperative intensive care unit (ICU) monitoring is an established option to ensure patient safety after resection of newly diagnosed glioblastoma. In contrast, secondary unplanned ICU readmission following complicating events during the initial postoperative course might be associated with severe morbidity and impair initially intended surgical benefit. In the present study, we assessed the prognostic impact of secondary ICU readmission and aimed to identify preoperatively ascertainable risk factors for the development of such adverse events in patients treated surgically for newly diagnosed glioblastoma.

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Objective: Patients with spinal metastasis (SM) are at advanced stages of systemic cancer disease. Surgical therapy for SM is a common treatment modality enabling histopathological diagnosis and the prevention of severe neurological deficits. However, surgery for SM in this vulnerable patient cohort may require prolonged postoperative intensive care treatment, which could adversely affect the anticipated benefit of the surgery.

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