External Validation of the Graded Prognostic Assessment in Patients with Brain Metastases from Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Background: Recently, graded prognostic assessment (GPA) for small cell lung cancer (SCLC) patients with brain metastases has been developed. This includes age, performance status, number of brain metastases and presence of extracranial metastases. The aim of the present study was to validate this four-tiered prognostic score in a European cohort of patients.

Long-term survival results after treatment for oligometastatic brain disease.

Aim: The aim of this study was to characterize the survival results of patients with up to four brain metastases after intense local therapy (primary surgery or stereotactic radiotherapy) if extracranial metastases were absent or limited to one site, e.g. the lungs.

Hippocampus-avoidance whole-brain radiation therapy with a simultaneous integrated boost for multiple brain metastases.

Background: The current study was aimed at investigating the feasibility of hippocampus-avoidance whole-brain radiation therapy with a simultaneous integrated boost (HA-WBRT+SIB) for metastases and at assessing tumor control in comparison with conventional whole-brain radiation therapy (WBRT) in patients with multiple brain metastases.

Methods: Between August 2012 and December 2016, 66 patients were treated within a monocentric feasibility trial with HA-WBRT+SIB: hippocampus-avoidance WBRT (30 Gy in 12 fractions, dose to 98% of the hippocampal volume ≤ 9 Gy) and a simultaneous integrated boost (51 or 42 Gy in 12 fractions) for metastases/resection cavities. Intracranial tumor control, hippocampal failure, and survival were subsequently compared with a retrospective cohort treated with WBRT via propensity score matching analysis.

Validation of the graded prognostic assessment for gastrointestinal cancers with brain metastases (GI-GPA).

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to validate a new prognostic model (GI-GPA) originally derived from a multi-center database (USA, Canada, Japan).

Patients And Methods: This retrospective study included 92 German and Norwegian patients treated with individualized approaches, always including brain radiotherapy. Information about age, extracranial spread, number of brain metastases, performance status and other variables was collected.

Age-dependent semiology of frontal lobe seizures.

Introduction: Frontal lobe epilepsy is the second most frequent origin of focal epilepsy. Various studies have discussed localizing aspects of ictal signs in frontal lobe epilepsy; the effect of age on semiological manifestations has, however, not been analyzed so far.

Material And Methods: We retrospectively analyzed video-documented semiological signs in a cohort of 122 consecutive patients aged 0-70 years (mean age: 24.

Tolerability, efficacy and retention rate of Brivaracetam in patients previously treated with Levetiracetam: A monocenter retrospective outcome analysis.

Purpose: To determine the potential for improvement of tolerability and efficacy by the use of Brivaracetam (BRV) in patients previously treated with Levetiracetam (LEV).

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data from patients treated with BRV at the Freiburg Epilepsy Center.

Results: 102 patients with a minimum follow up of 6 months were included.

Rapid antiepileptic drug withdrawal may obscure localizing information obtained during presurgical EEG recordings.

Withdrawal of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) is a standard procedure during presurgical epilepsy assessment. Rapid and, at times, even pre-hospital withdrawal of medication is performed in some centres to enhance the yield of recorded seizures during video-EEG monitoring. AED withdrawal, however, affects the propensity and speed of propagation of epileptic activity, may evoke more severe seizures, and may cause pitfalls in EEG interpretation.

Validation of the Graded Prognostic Assessment for Melanoma Using Molecular Markers (Melanoma-molGPA).

Background: It has been suggested to replace the diagnosis-specific graded prognostic assessment (DS-GPA, based on performance status and number of brain metastases) for patients with primary malignant melanoma with the new Melanoma-molGPA. The latter is a more complex assessment, which also includes BRAF mutation status, age and extracranial metastases. To test the performance of the Melanoma-molGPA, we performed a validation study of this new survival prediction tool.

Short Survival Time after Palliative whole Brain Radiotherapy: Can We Predict Potential Overtreatment by Use of a Nomogram?

Background: Many patients with brain metastases undergoing whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT) have very limited survival. The purpose of this study was to validate a nomogram derived from a large American database and to examine its ability to better predict short survival (cut-off 2 months) than previous models.

Material And Methods: This retrospective study included 254 European patients treated with primary WBRT.

Validation of the graded prognostic assessment for lung cancer with brain metastases using molecular markers (lung-molGPA).

Background: Many patients with brain metastases from non-small cell lung cancer have limited survival, while others survive for several years, depending on patterns of spread, EGFR and ALK alterations, among others. The purpose of this study was to validate a new prognostic model (Lung-molGPA) originally derived from a North American database.

Patients And Methods: This retrospective study included 269 German and Norwegian patients treated with individualized approaches, always including brain radiotherapy.

Predicted survival in patients with brain metastases from colorectal cancer: Is a current nomogram helpful?

Objective: To examine the clinical applicability of a new nomogram by comparing survival of patients with brain metastases from colorectal cancer treated with surgery and/or radiotherapy in the authors' institutions with nomogram-predicted median survival.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of 64 patients treated with comparable approaches and during the same time period as the patients in the nomogram study. Points were assigned for age, performance status, number and site of brain metastases, as required for nomogram use.

The challenge of durable brain control in patients with brain-only metastases from breast cancer.

The vast majority of patients with brain metastases from breast cancer have extracranial metastases, e.g., in the liver, lungs or bones, with serious impact on prognosis.

Perampanel in the management of partial-onset seizures: a review of safety, efficacy, and patient acceptability.

Perampanel (PER) is a novel antiepileptic drug recently introduced for the adjunctive treatment in epilepsy patients aged 12 years or older with partial-onset seizures with or without secondary generalization in the US and Europe. Its antiepileptic action is based on noncompetitive inhibition of postsynaptic AMPA receptors, decreasing excitatory synaptic transmission. Evaluation of efficacy in three placebo-controlled randomized Phase III studies showed that add-on therapy of PER decreased seizure frequencies significantly compared to placebo at daily doses between 4 mg/day and 12 mg/day.