Increasing use of immunotherapy and prolonged survival among younger patients with primary CNS lymphoma: a population-based study.

Primary CNS lymphoma is a highly aggressive and rare type of extranodal non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Although, new therapeutic approaches have led to improved survival, the management of the disease poses a challenge, practice patterns vary across institutions and countries, and remain ill-defined for vulnerable patient subgroups. Using information from the Austrian Brain Tumor Registry we followed a population-based cohort of 189 patients newly diagnosed from 2005 to 2010 through various lines of treatment until death or last follow-up (12-31-2016).

The DNA methylation landscape of glioblastoma disease progression shows extensive heterogeneity in time and space.

Glioblastoma is characterized by widespread genetic and transcriptional heterogeneity, yet little is known about the role of the epigenome in glioblastoma disease progression. Here, we present genome-scale maps of DNA methylation in matched primary and recurring glioblastoma tumors, using data from a highly annotated clinical cohort that was selected through a national patient registry. We demonstrate the feasibility of DNA methylation mapping in a large set of routinely collected FFPE samples, and we validate bisulfite sequencing as a multipurpose assay that allowed us to infer a range of different genetic, epigenetic, and transcriptional characteristics of the profiled tumor samples.

Symmetry of the arcuate fasciculus and its impact on language performance of patients with brain tumors in the language-dominant hemisphere.

OBJECTIVE Cerebral damage in frontal, parietal, and temporal brain areas and, probably more importantly, their interconnections can lead to deficits in language. However, neural plasticity and repair allow the brain to partly compensate for neural injury, mediated by both functional and structural changes. In this study, the authors sought to systematically investigate the relationship between language performance in brain tumor patients and structural perisylvian pathways (i.

Poor short-term outcome in patients with ischaemic stroke and active cancer.

Stroke risk is increased in cancer patients and cancer activity has been claimed to play a role in the development of ischaemic stroke (IS). We wanted to further test these assumptions and to explore the impact of such relation on short-term prognosis. We identified all IS patients that were admitted to the neurological department of our primary and tertiary care university hospital between 2008 and 2014 (n = 4918) and reviewed their medical records for an additional diagnosis of cancer.

Treatment results and outcome in elderly patients with glioblastoma multiforme--a retrospective single institution analysis.

Objective: Although glioblastoma multiforme is more common in patients older than 65 years, the elderly population is often excluded from clinical studies. Decision making in this subgroup can be challenging due to the lack of evidence for different neurosurgical and adjuvant treatment strategies.

Methods: In this retrospective study, we evaluated clinical, treatment and survival data of 124 consecutive patients over 65 years of age with supratentorial glioblastoma multiforme.

Phase III randomized trial comparing the efficacy of cediranib as monotherapy, and in combination with lomustine, versus lomustine alone in patients with recurrent glioblastoma.

Purpose: A randomized, phase III, placebo-controlled, partially blinded clinical trial (REGAL [Recent in in Glioblastoma Alone and With Lomustine]) was conducted to determine the efficacy of cediranib, an oral pan-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, either as monotherapy or in combination with lomustine versus lomustine in patients with recurrent glioblastoma.

Patients And Methods: Patients (N = 325) with recurrent glioblastoma who previously received radiation and temozolomide were randomly assigned 2:2:1 to receive (1) cediranib (30 mg) monotherapy; (2) cediranib (20 mg) plus lomustine (110 mg/m(2)); (3) lomustine (110 mg/m(2)) plus a placebo. The primary end point was progression-free survival based on blinded, independent radiographic assessment of postcontrast T1-weighted and noncontrast T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain scans.

NovoTTF-100A versus physician's choice chemotherapy in recurrent glioblastoma: a randomised phase III trial of a novel treatment modality.

Purpose: NovoTTF-100A is a portable device delivering low-intensity, intermediate frequency electric fields via non-invasive, transducer arrays. Tumour Treatment Fields (TTF), a completely new therapeutic modality in cancer treatment, physically interfere with cell division.

Methods: Phase III trial of chemotherapy-free treatment of NovoTTF (20-24h/day) versus active chemotherapy in the treatment of patients with recurrent glioblastoma.

[Pseudoprogression or pseudoresponse: a challenge for the diagnostic imaging in Glioblastoma multiforme].

This methodological paper on magnetic resonance tomography imaging recalls the assessment criteria on therapy response of Glioblastoma multiforme as defined by David Macdonald in 1990 that have remained State of the Art since their first publication. It defines the terms "pseudoprogression", "radiation induced necrosis" and "pseudoresponse". These phenomena are seen increasingly since the introduction of radiochemotherapy with Temozolomide as treatment standard in glioblastoma and since the use of antiangiogenetic therapy in malignant gliomas.

Paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis in a patient with extragonadal choriocarcinoma--significance of onconeural antibodies.

Background: Paraneoplastic limbic or brainstem encephalitis is considered to be an autoimmune-mediated disorder of the nervous system associated with different types of cancer including germ cell tumors.

Case Report: We report on a 31-year-old patient presenting with eye motility dysfunction, dysarthrophonia, lethargy, depression, slow mentation, disorientation, dysgraphia, and retarded motion sequence. Neurologic tests, brain imaging, and blood chemistry tests failed to determine the cause of the symptoms.

Temozolomide for recurrent or progressive high-grade malignant glioma: results of an Austrian multicenter observational study.

Background: The use of chemotherapy in patients with malignant gliomas has remained a controversial issue even after the publication of favorable study data and a meta-analysis. The present study was initiated to support the use of chemotherapy in patients with relapsed high-grade gliomas (HGG).

Patients And Methods: Six Austrian centers recruited 43 patients with histologically confirmed HGG at first recurrence.