NCCN Guidelines® Insights: Central Nervous System Cancers, Version 2.2022.

The NCCN Guidelines for Central Nervous System (CNS) Cancers focus on management of the following adult CNS cancers: glioma (WHO grade 1, WHO grade 2-3 oligodendroglioma [1p19q codeleted, IDH-mutant], WHO grade 2-4 IDH-mutant astrocytoma, WHO grade 4 glioblastoma), intracranial and spinal ependymomas, medulloblastoma, limited and extensive brain metastases, leptomeningeal metastases, non-AIDS-related primary CNS lymphomas, metastatic spine tumors, meningiomas, and primary spinal cord tumors. The information contained in the algorithms and principles of management sections in the NCCN Guidelines for CNS Cancers are designed to help clinicians navigate through the complex management of patients with CNS tumors. Several important principles guide surgical management and treatment with radiotherapy and systemic therapy for adults with brain tumors.

Intracranial Solitary Fibrous Tumor/Hemangiopericytoma Treated with Microsurgical Resection: Retrospective Cohort Analysis of a Single-Center Experience.

Objective: To provide benchmarks for further studies of solitary fibrous tumor/hemangiopericytoma (SFT/HPC) of the central nervous system (CNS), we investigated the association of baseline demographic, clinico-pathologic, and treatment factors with outcomes in those treated at our center.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective, cohort analysis of patients treated for SFT/HPC at the University of Washington 1990-2020. Kaplan-Meier and univariable Cox analyses assessed relationships between baseline variables and local or global CNS recurrence, extraneural recurrence, progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS).

Radiation-induced brain injury in patients with meningioma treated with proton or photon therapy.

Introduction: Radiation therapy is often used to treat meningioma with adverse features or when unresectable. Proton therapy has advantages over photon therapy in reducing integral dose to the brain. This study compared the incidence of radiological and clinical adverse events after photon versus proton therapy in the treatment of meningioma.

Central Nervous System Cancers, Version 3.2020, NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology.

The NCCN Guidelines for Central Nervous System (CNS) Cancers focus on management of adult CNS cancers ranging from noninvasive and surgically curable pilocytic astrocytomas to metastatic brain disease. The involvement of an interdisciplinary team, including neurosurgeons, radiation therapists, oncologists, neurologists, and neuroradiologists, is a key factor in the appropriate management of CNS cancers. Integrated histopathologic and molecular characterization of brain tumors such as gliomas should be standard practice.

Chemotherapy in Esthesioneuroblastoma/Olfactory Neuroblastoma: An Analysis of the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) 1973-2015 Database.

Objective: Chemotherapy has been proposed as an adjunct to primary local therapy in esthesioneuroblastoma (ENB)/olfactory neuroblastoma (ON), but its role has not been precisely defined. Here, we evaluated its role in ENB treatment.

Materials And Methods: The Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database was queried for ENB/ON (International Classification of Diseases-3 9522).

Patterns of Failure After Stereotactic Radiosurgery for Recurrent High-Grade Glioma: A Single Institution Experience of 10 Years.

Background: Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is a treatment modality that is frequently used as salvage therapy for small nodular recurrent high-grade gliomas (HGG). Due to the infiltrative nature of HGG, it is unclear if this highly focused technique provides a durable local control benefit.

Objective: To determine how demographic or clinical factors influence the pattern of failure following SRS for recurrent high-grade gliomas.

NCCN Guidelines Insights: Central Nervous System Cancers, Version 1.2017.

For many years, the diagnosis and classification of gliomas have been based on histology. Although studies including large populations of patients demonstrated the prognostic value of histologic phenotype, variability in outcomes within histologic groups limited the utility of this system. Nonetheless, histology was the only proven and widely accessible tool available at the time, thus it was used for clinical trial entry criteria, and therefore determined the recommended treatment options.

Prognosis of older patients with low-grade glioma: A retrospective study.

Introduction: Clinical behavior, treatment parameters, and prognostic factors are less well defined in older adults with low-grade gliomas (LGG). We conducted a two-institution retrospective review of older patients with LGG to better understand disease characteristics and prognosis in this population.

Methods: Northwestern University (NU) and The University of Washington (UW) clinical research databases were queried for patients ≥ 50 years of age with a diagnosis of WHO grade II glioma between January 1, 2000 and December 2012 (UW).

Onyx embolization prior to stereotactic radiosurgery for brain arteriovenous malformations: a single-center treatment algorithm.

Background: Embolization before stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for brain arteriovenous malformations (BAVMs) is controversial.

Objective: To compare clinical and radiographic outcomes in patients undergoing pre-SRS embolization with ethylene copolymer (Onyx) with outcomes in patients undergoing SRS alone.

Methods: Seventy consecutive patients with BAVMs who underwent SRS were retrospectively reviewed.

Clinical Positioning Accuracy for Multisession Stereotactic Radiotherapy With the Gamma Knife Perfexion.

Multisession stereotactic radiation therapy is increasingly being seen as a preferred option for intracranial diseases in close proximity to critical structures and for larger target volumes. The objective of this study is to investigate the reproducibility of the Extend system from Elekta. A retrospective review was conducted for all patients treated with multisession Gamma Knife between July 2010 and June 2015, including both malignant and benign lesions.

A Feasibility Study of Personalized Prescription Schemes for Glioblastoma Patients Using a Proliferation and Invasion Glioma Model.

This study investigates the feasibility of personalizing radiotherapy prescription schemes (treatment margins and fractional doses) for glioblastoma (GBM) patients and their potential benefits using a proliferation and invasion (PI) glioma model on phantoms. We propose a strategy to personalize radiotherapy prescription schemes by simulating the proliferation and invasion of the tumor in 2D according to the PI glioma model. We demonstrate the strategy and its potential benefits by presenting virtual cases, where the standard and personalized prescriptions were applied to the tumor.

Toward a comprehensive assessment of functional outcomes in pediatric patients with brain arteriovenous malformations: the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory.

OBJECTIVE Brain arteriovenous malformations (bAVMs) are rare in pediatric patients but represent the most common cause of hemorrhagic stroke in this population. Pediatric patients demonstrate superior outcomes in comparison with adult patients with similar lesions and presentations. Most studies of clinical outcomes of pediatric bAVMs use the modified Rankin Scale (mRS), despite a lack of validation in pediatric patients.

Outcomes of Multimodality Therapy in Pediatric Patients With Ruptured and Unruptured Brain Arteriovenous Malformations.

Background: Brain arteriovenous malformations (BAVMs) are a frequent cause of pediatric hemorrhagic stroke, which frequently results in significant morbidity and mortality.

Objective: To analyze the results of multimodality treatment for a consecutive series of pediatric patients with ruptured and unruptured BAVMs at a single institution.

Methods: Forty patients <18 years of age were retrospectively reviewed.

Improvement in Visual Fields After Treatment of Intracranial Meningioma With Bevacizumab.

High-grade (World Health Organization [WHO] Grade II and III) meningiomas constitute a minority of all meningioma cases but are associated with significant morbidity and mortality, due to more aggressive tumor behavior and a tendency to recur despite standard therapy with resection and radiotherapy. They display a higher degree of vascularity than WHO Grade I meningiomas and produce angiogenic and growth factors, including vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Bevacizumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody against VEGF-A, has been used in the treatment of recurrent or progressive meningiomas resistant to standard therapy.

Phase 1/2 trials of Temozolomide, Motexafin Gadolinium, and 60-Gy fractionated radiation for newly diagnosed supratentorial glioblastoma multiforme: final results of RTOG 0513.

Purpose: The purpose of phase 1 was to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of motexafin gadolinium (MGd) given concurrently with temozolomide (TMZ) and radiation therapy (RT) in patients with newly diagnosed supratentorial glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Phase 2 determined whether this combination improved overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in GBM recursive partitioning analysis class III to V patients compared to therapies for recently published historical controls.

Methods And Materials: Dose escalation in phase 1 progressed through 3 cohorts until 2 of 6 patients experienced dose-limiting toxicity or a dose of 5 mg/kg was reached.

The use of stereotactic radiosurgery for brain metastases from breast cancer: who benefits most?

Brain metastases (BM) from primary breast cancer can arise despite use of systemic therapies that provide excellent extracranial disease control. Local modalities for treating BM include surgery, whole brain radiation therapy (WBRT), and stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS). We sought to determine the benefits of SRS for management of BM arising from different biologic breast cancer subtypes.

Treatment outcomes of unruptured arteriovenous malformations with a subgroup analysis of ARUBA (A Randomized Trial of Unruptured Brain Arteriovenous Malformations)-eligible patients.

Background: The design and conclusions of A Randomized Trial of Unruptured Brain Arteriovenous Malformations (ARUBA) trial are controversial, and its structure limits analysis of patients who could potentially benefit from treatment.

Objective: To analyze the results of a consecutive series of patients with unruptured brain arteriovenous malformations (BAVMs), including a subgroup analysis of ARUBA-eligible patients.

Methods: One hundred five patients with unruptured BAVMs were treated over an 8-year period.

A patient-specific computational model of hypoxia-modulated radiation resistance in glioblastoma using 18F-FMISO-PET.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a highly invasive primary brain tumour that has poor prognosis despite aggressive treatment. A hallmark of these tumours is diffuse invasion into the surrounding brain, necessitating a multi-modal treatment approach, including surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. We have previously demonstrated the ability of our model to predict radiographic response immediately following radiation therapy in individual GBM patients using a simplified geometry of the brain and theoretical radiation dose.

Patient-specific metrics of invasiveness reveal significant prognostic benefit of resection in a predictable subset of gliomas.

Object: Malignant gliomas are incurable, primary brain neoplasms noted for their potential to extensively invade brain parenchyma. Current methods of clinical imaging do not elucidate the full extent of brain invasion, making it difficult to predict which, if any, patients are likely to benefit from gross total resection. Our goal was to apply a mathematical modeling approach to estimate the overall tumor invasiveness on a patient-by-patient basis and determine whether gross total resection would improve survival in patients with relatively less invasive gliomas.

Hemorrhagic collision metastasis in a cerebral arteriovenous malformation.

A 26-year-old patient with recurrent choriocarcinoma of the testis presented with headache and progressive left homonymous hemianopsia. On initial MRI a grade 4 arteriovenous malformation (AVM) was identified in the right occipital lobe, which was further characterized by catheter angiography. Continued worsening of the headache in the following days prompted a follow-up MRI, which revealed a new T2 hypointense nodule and adjacent vasogenic edema in the periphery of the AVM.

Hemorrhagic collision metastasis in a cerebral arteriovenous malformation.

A 26-year-old patient with recurrent choriocarcinoma of the testis presented with headache and progressive left homonymous hemianopsia. On initial MRI a grade 4 arteriovenous malformation (AVM) was identified in the right occipital lobe, which was further characterized by catheter angiography. Continued worsening of the headache in the following days prompted a follow-up MRI, which revealed a new T2 hypointense nodule and adjacent vasogenic edema in the periphery of the AVM.

Gene therapy enhances chemotherapy tolerance and efficacy in glioblastoma patients.

Background: Temozolomide (TMZ) is one of the most potent chemotherapy agents for the treatment of glioblastoma. Unfortunately, almost half of glioblastoma tumors are TMZ resistant due to overexpression of methylguanine methyltransferase (MGMT(hi)). Coadministration of O6-benzylguanine (O6BG) can restore TMZ sensitivity, but causes off-target myelosuppression.