Surgery for glioblastomas in the elderly: an Association des Neuro-oncologues d'Expression Française (ANOCEF) trial.

Objective: The role of surgery in the treatment of malignant gliomas in the elderly is not settled. The authors conducted a randomized trial that compared tumor resection with biopsy only-both followed by standard therapy-in such patients.

Methods: Patients ≥ 70 years of age with a Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS) score ≥ 50 and presenting with a radiological suspicion of operable glioblastoma (GBM) were randomly assigned between tumor resection and biopsy groups.

Adult brainstem glioma differential diagnoses: an MRI-based approach in a series of 68 patients.

Background: Brainstem gliomas are rare in adults. The diagnosis is often difficult, as some teams still consider brainstem biopsies dangerous and often avoid this procedure. The aim of this study was to describe differential diagnoses that can mimic brainstem glioma, to help clinicians avoid diagnostic and therapeutic mistakes, and to propose a diagnostic algorithm according to radiological presentations.

Brainstem lesions: MRI review of standard morphological sequences.

MRI signal changes in the brainstem are observed in a multitude of disorders including vascular diseases, neoplastic lesions, degenerative diseases, inflammatory disorders, metabolic diseases, infections, and trauma. In some diseases, brainstem involvement is typical and sometimes isolated, while in other diseases, brainstem lesions are only observed occasionally in the presence of other typical extra-brainstem abnormalities. In this review, we will discuss the MRI characteristics of brainstem lesions observed in different disorders associated with frequent and less frequent brainstem involvement.

Adult brainstem glioma presenting with isolated persistent hemifacial spasm or facial nerve palsy.

Object: Adult brainstem gliomas are a rare group of heterogeneous brain tumors. Classical clinical presentation includes progressive impairment of cranial nerves associated with long tract signs. The prognosis and response to treatment are poor; nevertheless, some patients do have a long survival.

F-FDOPA-PET in pseudotumoral brain lesions.

Introduction: 3,4-Dihydroxy-6-[F]-fluoro-L-phenylalanine (FDOPA) positron emission tomography (PET) is sensitive for identifying primary brain tumors. However, increased FDOPA uptake has been reported in pseudotumoral brain lesions. Our aim was to analyse FDOPA-PET in patients with pseudotumoral brain lesions and to compare them with patients with brain tumors.

Single and simultaneous multiple intracerebral hemorrhages: a radiological review.

Simultaneous multiple intracerebral hemorrhage (SMICH) is defined as ICH in two or more discrete noncontiguous acute intraparenchymal locations on initial CT. About 5% of ICH patients present with SMICH. ICH/SMICH etiology is classically divided into disorders of primary or secondary origin.

Hypoxia Imaging and Adaptive Radiotherapy: A State-of-the-Art Approach in the Management of Glioma.

Severe hypoxia [oxygen partial pressure (pO) below 5-10 mmHg] is more frequent in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) compared to lower-grade gliomas. Seminal studies in the 1950s demonstrated that hypoxia was associated with increased resistance to low-linear energy transfer (LET) ionizing radiation. In experimental conditions, the total radiation dose has to be multiplied by a factor of 3 to achieve the same cell lethality in anoxic situations.

Comparison between MRI-derived ADC maps and FLT-PET in pre-operative glioblastoma.

Background And Purpose: Among principal MRI sequences used for a better pre-therapeutic characterization of glioblastoma (GBM), DWI-derived ADC is expected to be a good parameter for the evaluation of cellularity, due to restricted water diffusivity. We aimed here to compare ADC maps to FLT-PET, a proliferation tracer, in GBM cases.

Materials And Methods: Patients underwent FLT-PET, followed by multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) just prior to surgery.

Promoter Hypermethylation of Genes Encoding for RASSF/Hippo Pathway Members Reveals Specific Alteration Pattern in Diffuse Gliomas.

Ras association domain family (RASSF)/Hippo pathway alterations are poorly characterized in diffuse gliomas. We assayed promoter methylation of LATS1/2, MST1(STK4)/MST2(STK3), RASSF1, RASSF2, Nore1A/RASSF5, RASSF6, and RASSF10 genes in 133 diffuse gliomas. The RASSF/Hippo pathway was highly silenced in gliomas, particularly RASSF1A (79.

Allergic conditions and risk of glioma and meningioma in the CERENAT case-control study.

Inverse association between allergic conditions and glioma risk has been consistently reported in epidemiological studies with little attention paid to potential environmental confounders; the association with meningioma risk is less consistent. We examined the association between allergy history and risk of glioma and meningioma in adults using data from the CERENAT (CEREbral tumors: a NATional study) multicenter case-control study carried out in 4 areas in France in 2004-2010. Participants' histories of doctor-diagnosed allergic asthma, eczema, rhinitis/hay fever and other allergic conditions were collected at onset through a detailed questionnaire delivered in a face-to-face interview.

Temozolomide Plus Bevacizumab in Elderly Patients with Newly Diagnosed Glioblastoma and Poor Performance Status: An ANOCEF Phase II Trial (ATAG).

Lessons Learned: Results suggest that the combination of bevacizumab plus temozolomide is active in terms of response rate, survival, performance, quality of life, and cognition in elderly patients with glioblastoma multiforme with poor performance status.Whether this combination is superior to temozolomide alone remains to be demonstrated by a randomized study.

Background: The optimal treatment of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) in patients aged ≥70 years with a Karnofsky performance status (KPS) <70 is not established.

FMISO-PET-derived brain oxygen tension maps: application to glioblastoma and less aggressive gliomas.

Quantitative imaging modalities for the analysis of hypoxia in brain tumors are lacking. The objective of this study was to generate absolute maps of tissue pO from [F]-FMISO images in glioblastoma and less aggressive glioma patients in order to quantitatively assess tumor hypoxia. An ancillary objective was to compare estimated pO values to other biomarkers: perfusion weighted imaging (PWI) and tumor metabolism obtained from H-MR mono-voxel spectroscopy (MRS).

In Vivo Relationship Between Hypoxia and Angiogenesis in Human Glioblastoma: A Multimodal Imaging Study.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common and aggressive primary brain tumor. This aggressiveness is in part attributed to the closely interrelated phenomena tumor hypoxia and angiogenesis, although few in vivo data exist in human brain tumors. This work aimed to study hypoxia and angiogenesis, in vivo and in situ, in patients admitted with GBM using multimodal imaging.

[18F]-FMISO PET study of hypoxia in gliomas before surgery: correlation with molecular markers of hypoxia and angiogenesis.

Purpose: Hypoxia in gliomas is associated with tumor resistance to radio- and chemotherapy. However, positron emission tomography (PET) imaging of hypoxia remains challenging, and the validation of biological markers is, therefore, of great importance. We investigated the relationship between uptake of the PET hypoxia tracer [18F]-FMISO and other markers of hypoxia and angiogenesis and with patient survival.

Interactions between glioma and pregnancy: insight from a 52-case multicenter series.

OBJECTIVE The goal of this study was to provide insight into the influence of gliomas on gestational outcomes, the impact of pregnancy on gliomas, and the identification of patients at risk. METHODS In this multiinstitutional retrospective study, the authors identified 52 pregnancies in 50 women diagnosed with a glioma. RESULTS For gliomas known prior to pregnancy (n = 24), we found the following: 1) An increase in the quantified imaging growth rates occurred during pregnancy in 87% of cases.

Pseudotumoral brain lesions: MRI review.

Single or multiple space-occupying lesions on brain MRI, with or without contrast enhancement and/or perilesional oedema, evoke a neoplastic origin. However, a multitude of non-neoplastic disorders can simulate cerebral neoplasia. In this review, we will discuss the MRI characteristics of non-neoplastic disorders that can mimic cerebral neoplasia.

[Not Available].

Purpose: The modalities for anti-dementia drugs' discontinuation are not consensual.

Objective: The objectives of the study were the followings, describe: i) the reasons for discontinuation of anti-dementia drugs of patients treated in a residency for dependent elderly people, ii) security of sudden discontinuation, iii) evolution of troubles.

Methods: Our longitudinal descriptive pilot study aimed at observing consequences of the sudden discontinuation of anti-dementia drugs in a population with a moderate to severe stage of Alzheimer's disease.

Prognostic value of health-related quality of life for death risk stratification in patients with unresectable glioblastoma.

Glioblastoma is the most common malignant brain tumor in adults. Baseline health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is a major subject of concern for these patients. We aimed to assess the independent prognostic value of HRQoL in unresectable glioblastoma (UGB) patients for death risk stratification.

[(18)F]-fluoro-L-thymidine PET and advanced MRI for preoperative grading of gliomas.

Purpose: Conventional MRI based on contrast enhancement is often not sufficient in differentiating grade II from grade III and grade III from grade IV diffuse gliomas. We assessed advanced MRI, MR spectroscopy and [(18)F]-fluoro-l-thymidine ([(18)F]-FLT) PET as tools to overcome these limitations.

Methods: In this prospective study, thirty-nine patients with diffuse gliomas of grades II, III or IV underwent conventional MRI, perfusion, diffusion, proton MR spectroscopy ((1)H-MRS) and [(18)F]-FLT-PET imaging before surgery.

Immunotherapy with CpG-ODN in neoplastic meningitis: A phase I trial.

TLR-9 agonists are immunostimulating agents that have antitumor effects in animal models. A phase I trial was conducted to define the safety profile of subcutaneous injections, combined with intrathecally administration of CpG-28, a TRL 9 agonist, in patients with neoplastic meningitis (NM). Cohorts of 3-6 patients with NM were treated for 5 weeks with escalating doses of CpG-28.

[Sudden Discontinuation of Anti-dementia Drugs in Moderate and Severe Alzheimer's Disease in a Residency for Dependent Elderly People: a Longitudinal Descriptive Pilot Study].

Purpose: The modalities for anti-dementia drugs' discontinuation are not consensual.

Objective: The objectives of the study were the followings, describe: i) the reasons for discontinuation of anti-dementia drugs of patients treated in a residency for dependent elderly people, ii) security of sudden discontinuation, iii) evolution of troubles.

Methods: Our longitudinal descriptive pilot study aimed at observing consequences of the sudden discontinuation of anti-dementia drugs in a population with a moderate to severe stage of Alzheimer's disease.