Brain tumor-related epilepsy.

In patients with brain tumor (BT), seizures are the onset symptom in 20-40% of patients, while a further 20-45% of patients will present them during the course of the disease. These patients present a complex therapeutic profile and require a unique and multidisciplinary approach. The choice of antiepileptic drugs is challenging for this particular patient population because brain tumor-related epilepsy (BTRE) is often drug-resistant, has a strong impact on the quality of life and weighs heavily on public health expenditures.

Patients with brain tumor-related epilepsy.

Patients with brain tumor-related epilepsy (BTRE) present a complex therapeutic profile and require a unique and multidisciplinary approach. They, in fact, must face two different pathologies at the same time, brain tumor and epilepsy. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a customized treatment plan for each individual with BTRE.

Lecture: profile of risks and benefits of new antiepileptic drugs in brain tumor-related epilepsy.

In patients with brain tumor, seizures are the onset symptom in 20-40% of the patients, while a further 20-45% of the patients will present them during the course of the disease. These data are important when considering the choice of antiepileptic drugs for this particular patient population, because brain tumor-related epilepsy (BTRE) is often drug resistant, has a strong impact on the quality of life and weighs heavily on public health expenditures. In brain tumor patients, the presence of epilepsy is considered as the most important risk factor for long-term disability.

Lacosamide as add-on in brain tumor-related epilepsy: preliminary report on efficacy and tolerability.

Lacosamide (LCM) is an antiepileptic drug (AED) that has demonstrated a good efficacy in controlling seizures as an add-on in adult epilepsy. To date, there have been no studies on LCM in patients with brain tumor-related epilepsy (BTRE). To evaluate efficacy and tolerability of LCM as an add-on in BTRE, we followed 14 patients suffering from BTRE who had already been treated with other AEDs and who had not experienced adequate seizure control.

Levetiracetam monotherapy in patients with brain tumor-related epilepsy: seizure control, safety, and quality of life.

We performed a case series analysis to evaluate the effects of levetiracetam (LEV) monotherapy on seizures, adverse events, cognitive functioning and quality of life (QoL) in patients with brain tumor-related epilepsy (BTRE). We also explored the possible effects of systemic therapies on the efficacy of LEV. Twenty-nine patients were followed (13 female, 16 male; age 24-75 years) with 12 months of follow-up.

Antiepileptics in brain metastases: safety, efficacy and impact on life expectancy.

The aim of the study was to evaluate efficacy, safety and impact on life expectancy of levetiracetam (LEV), oxcarbazepine (OXC) and topiramate (TPM) monotherapy in patients with seizures related to brain metastases. We conducted a prospective observational study on 70 patients with brain metastases. Thirteen patients were excluded because they were in prophylactic therapy with antiepileptics, nine patients did not return to our Center.

Efficacy and tolerability of zonisamide as add-on in brain tumor-related epilepsy: preliminary report.

Background: Zonisamide (ZNS) is an antiepileptic drug (AED) with broad spectrum action that demonstrated a good efficacy in controlling seizures as add-on in adult and pediatric epilepsy. To date there have been no studies on ZNS in patients with brain tumor-related epilepsy (BTRE).

Aim Of The Study: To evaluate efficacy and tolerability of ZNS as add-on in BTRE.

Reversible erectile dysfunction in a patient with brain tumor-related epilepsy in therapy with zonisamide in add-on.

Introduction: Literature data do not report any cases of erectile dysfunction (ED) during treatment with new antiepileptic drugs in patients with brain tumors.

Aim: Concerning zonisamide (ZNS) therapy, data on sexual dysfunction are not available either in patients with epilepsy or in patients with brain tumor-related epilepsy.

Methods: Our case study concerns one patient with partial epilepsy associated with oligoastrocytoma in whom reversible ED developed while taking ZNS.

The role side effects play in the choice of antiepileptic therapy in brain tumor-related epilepsy: a comparative study on traditional antiepileptic drugs versus oxcarbazepine.

Background: Seizure control doesn't represent the only challenging goal in patients with brain tumor-related epilepsy. Side effects have often taken precedence for patients' quality of life.

Methods: We performed an observational retrospective study on patients with brain tumor-related epilepsy: 35 who had assumed oxcarbazepine monotherapy and 35 patients who had undergone treatment with traditional antiepileptic drugs.

Quality of life and seizure control in patients with brain tumor-related epilepsy treated with levetiracetam monotherapy: preliminary data of an open-label study.

The aim of this pilot study was to investigate the effects of levetiracetam monotherapy on seizure control, quality of life and neurocognitive performance in patients with brain tumor-related epilepsy. We present here preliminary data from 18 patients with follow-up of 6 months. We evaluated seizure frequency at baseline.

Temozolomide treatment does not affect topiramate and oxcarbazepine plasma concentrations in chronically treated patients with brain tumor-related epilepsy.

Objective: Medical management of brain tumor-related epilepsy is complicated by interactions between antiepileptic and chemotherapeutic drugs. We studied the effect of temozolomide therapy on the disposition of the new antiepileptic drugs topiramate (TPM) or oxcarbazepine (OXC).

Methods: Fifteen patients chronically treated with TPM or OXC in monotherapy starting a chemotherapeutic treatment with temozolomide were enrolled in the study, of which ten were available for the final analyses.

Outcome and tolerability of topiramate in brain tumor associated epilepsy.

Epilepsy in brain tumor patients is often refractory to pharmacological treatments and can complicate the therapeutic management of these patients. We conducted a prospective, observational study. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy and tolerability of topiramate (TPM) in brain tumor associated epilepsy.