Enlightening the invisible: Applications, limits and perspectives of intraoperative fluorescence in neurosurgery.

Introduction: The introduction of intraoperative fluorophores represented a significant advancement in neurosurgical practice. Nowadays they found different applications: in oncology to improve the visualization of tumoral tissue and optimize resection rates and in vascular neurosurgery to assess the exclusion of vascular malformations or the permeability of bypasses, with real-time intraoperative evaluations.

Research Question: A comprehensive knowledge of how fluorophores work is crucial to maximize their benefits and to incorporate them into daily neurosurgical practice.

Update on Neoadjuvant and Adjuvant BRAF Inhibitors in Papillary Craniopharyngioma: A Systematic Review.

: The recent discovery of BRAF mutation in papillary craniopharyngiomas opened new avenues for targeted therapies to control tumour growth, decreasing the need for invasive treatments and relative complications. The aim of this systematic review was to summarize the recent scientific data dealing with the use of targeted therapies in papillary craniopharyngiomas, as adjuvant and neoadjuvant treatments. : The PRISMA guidelines were followed with searches performed in Scopus, MEDLINE, and Embase, following a dedicated PICO approach.

Efficacy of Chemotherapy Plus Bevacizumab in Recurrent Glioblastoma Multiform: A Real-life Study.

Background/aim: Bevacizumab and chemotherapy are used in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) relapse. However, the choice of chemotherapeutic agent remains an open question and this study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of different combinations.

Patients And Methods: Between June 2005 and August 2020, all patients treated with chemotherapy plus bevacizumab (BVZ) for recurrent glioblastoma in the Georges-François Leclerc Cancer Center, Dijon, France were included in this retrospective comparative study.

The molecular landscape of glioma in patients with Neurofibromatosis 1.

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is a common tumor predisposition syndrome in which glioma is one of the prevalent tumors. Gliomagenesis in NF1 results in a heterogeneous spectrum of low- to high-grade neoplasms occurring during the entire lifespan of patients. The pattern of genetic and epigenetic alterations of glioma that develops in NF1 patients and the similarities with sporadic glioma remain unknown.

Hypofractionated Stereotactic Radiotherapy as a Salvage Therapy for Recurrent High-Grade Gliomas: Single-Center Experience.

Background And Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the survival outcomes and safety of hypofractioned stereotactic radiotherapy as a salvage treatment for recurrent high-grade glioma.

Patients And Methods: Between March 2012 and March 2017, 32 consecutive patients (12 women, 20 men) treated in a single center were retrospectively included in this study. Grade III gliomas were diagnosed in 14 patients and grade IV in 18 patients.

Immune classifications with cytotoxic CD8 and Th17 infiltrates are predictors of clinical prognosis in glioblastoma.

Background: Interest is growing on immune cells involvement in central nervous system tumors such as glioblastoma. Even if a few reports highlighted that immune classifications could have a prognostic value, no paradigm has been clearly yet established on large and homogeneous cohorts. The aim of our study was to analyze the prognostic role of the in situ immune response of cytotoxic T cells (i.

[Place of surgery in brain metastases].

Surgical excision in brain metastases has been well evaluated in unique metastases. Two randomized phase III trials have shown that combined with adjuvant whole brain radiotherapy, it significantly improves overall survival. However, even in the presence of multiple brain metastases, surgery may be useful in large, symptomatic or life-threatening lesions (posterior fossa tumor with mass effect).