Odyssey of hope: a physician's guide to communicating with brain tumor patients across the continuum of care.

The optimal treatment of a patient with a malignant brain tumor requires attention to the physical and emotional well-being of the affected individual and the family. We review the concept of hope as a critical support modality throughout the continuum of care for brain tumor patients and families. We offer suggestions based on our own observations over 17 years as well as the lessons taught to us by our patients and their families over that time and through a structured interview process.

Neurology resident learning in an end-of-life/palliative care course.

Objectives: The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) requires neurology residents receive instruction in End-of-Life Care/Palliative Care (EOLPC), but survey data from 24 neurology programs in the National Residency End-of-Life Physician Education Project (NRELEP) demonstrated faculty and residents tend to rate themselves as able to perform EOLPC despite significant knowledge gaps. We participated in the NRELEP to develop an EOLPC course and assess resident learning following this new curriculum.

Methods: Fifteen residents and 8 nonparticipant faculty completed a content validated knowledge pretest and precourse EOLPC confidence self-assessment tool.

The challenges of long-term treatment outcomes in adults with malignant gliomas.

Malignant gliomas are among the most devastating tumors, with survival only one to three years after diagnosis even with the best of treatments. For this reason, long-term follow-up has not been established. Patients who do survive have significant disabilities, which compromise patient and family quality of life (QOL).

Durable response of breast cancer leptomeningeal metastasis to capecitabine monotherapy.

We report a durable (12-month) response to capecitabine monotherapy, shown clinically, by MRI, and by cerebrospinal fluid analysis, in a patient with leptomeningeal metastasis from breast cancer.