Advances in Surgery for Brain Tumors

Safety of craniotomy for brain tumor resection in octogenarians and older patients - a matched - cohort analysis

INTRODUCTION

The incidence of brain tumors has increased in elderly population overtime. Their eligibility to a major surgery remains a questionable subject. This study evaluated prognostic factors and 30-days morbidity and mortality in octogenarian population who underwent craniotomy for resection of brain tumor.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 154 patients were divided into two different groups: patients above 80 years old and patients below 65 years old. In both groups, patients were stratified based on diagnosis with benign tumors [meningioma] and malignant tumors [high-grade gliomas and metastases]. Multivariable logistic regression model with backward elimination method was utilized to identify the independent risk factors for 30-days readmission and post-operative complications.

RESULTS

The analysis revealed no significant difference in 30-day readmission (p = 0.7329), 30-day mortality (0.6854) or in post-operative complication (p = 0.3291) between age ≥ 80 and age ≤ 65 groups. A longer length of stay (LOS) was observed in the older patients (p = 0.0479). There was a significant difference in the pre-post KPS between the two groups (p < 0.0001). ASA (p = 0.0315) and KPS (p = 0.071) were found as important prognostic factors associated with post-operative mortality in both groups.

CONCLUSION

Octogenarians can withstand craniotomy without any significant increase in 30-day readmission, 30-day mortality and post-operative complications as compared to patients younger than age 65. The ASA score (>3) and/or KPS (<70) were the most important prognostic factors for 30-days readmission and mortality.

Lapatinib with whole brain radiotherapy in patients with brain metastases from breast and non-small cell lung cancer: a phase II study of the Hellenic Cooperative Oncology Group (HeCOG)

Small molecules, mainly tyrosine kinase inhibitors, are currently used in various malignancies. Lapatinib, a dual inhibitor of EGFR/HER2 tyrosine kinases, has demonstrated effectiveness in brain metastases from HER2-overexpressing breast cancer. It also appears to sensitize EGFR-expressing cell lines to radiation. To evaluate the efficacy of lapatinib in combination with whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT) in patients with brain metastases from non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and breast cancer, as assessed by volumetric analysis by MRI. 81 patients were treated with WBRT (30 Gy in ten fractions) in combination with lapatinib 1250 mg once daily, followed by lapatinib 1500 mg once daily for a total 6 weeks. 21 patients had primary breast cancer and 60 patients NSCLC. Pre- and post-treatment MRI scans in a compact disk for central volumetric assessment were available for 43 patients. 27 patients (62.8%) achieved partial response, 15 patients (34.9%) had stable disease and only one patient (2.3%) had disease progression. Response was not associated to EGFR protein expression. All 81 patients were assessed for safety. The large majority of the adverse events were mild. Eight deaths occurred, four of which were considered related to the study drugs but there were also other contributing factors. Nine cases of serious infections were observed in eight patients, but they were also receiving dexamethasone. Lapatinib in combination with WBRT in patients with brain metastases from breast cancer and NSCLC is a feasible approach that can be further studied in larger clinical trials.

Complications of glioma surgery

Even with current advances in adjunctive therapies, including radiation, chemotherapy, and various clinical trials of gene therapy and immunotherapy, surgical resection remains one of the most effective treatment for intra-axial gliomas. Survival in these patients has been shown to be related to the extent of resection. In some cases, it can provide cures of long-term remission; in others, it can provide disease control when combined with the above adjunctive treatments. However, surgical resection carries its own risks and complications. These complications can be broadly divided into neurologic, regional, and systemic, including direct cortical and vascular injury, surgical wound complications, and postsurgical medical complications. Certain patient characteristics, including Karnofsky performance status score (KPS) and pathology of the tumor, have been shown to have an impact on the risk of postsurgical complications. Advancement in preoperative and intraoperative adjunct technology such as cortical mapping and navigation has improved the surgeon's ability to safely and maximally resect the tumors. It is therefore important to understand the perioperative complications after craniotomy and tumor resection and factors affecting morbidity and mortality in order for surgeons to optimally select and counsel patients who will benefit the most from surgical resection. This chapter will focus on the complications associated with craniotomy for intrinsic glioma and ways of avoiding these events.

Image-guidance for surgical procedures

Contemporary imaging modalities can now provide the surgeon with high quality three- and four-dimensional images depicting not only normal anatomy and pathology, but also vascularity and function. A key component of image-guided surgery (IGS) is the ability to register multi-modal pre-operative images to each other and to the patient. The other important component of IGS is the ability to track instruments in real time during the procedure and to display them as part of a realistic model of the operative volume. Stereoscopic, virtual- and augmented-reality techniques have been implemented to enhance the visualization and guidance process. For the most part, IGS relies on the assumption that the pre-operatively acquired images used to guide the surgery accurately represent the morphology of the tissue during the procedure. This assumption may not necessarily be valid, and so intra-operative real-time imaging using interventional MRI, ultrasound, video and electrophysiological recordings are often employed to ameliorate this situation. Although IGS is now in extensive routine clinical use in neurosurgery and is gaining ground in other surgical disciplines, there remain many drawbacks that must be overcome before it can be employed in more general minimally-invasive procedures. This review overviews the roots of IGS in neurosurgery, provides examples of its use outside the brain, discusses the infrastructure required for successful implementation of IGS approaches and outlines the challenges that must be overcome for IGS to advance further.

Prognosis of gliomas in the 1970s and today

The benefit of the current strategy for diagnosis (magnetic resonance, [MR] imaging) and treatment (surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy) of gliomas, in contrast to the standard treatment in use before MR imaging and the microsurgical era, has not yet been determined. A retrospective statistical analysis was performed for all patients with glioma who underwent surgery at a single institution between 1965 and 1974 (Group I, 88 patients) or 1986 and 1995 (Group II, 249 patients). There were no major differences in symptomatology, tumor localization, and number of surgical procedures. The mean time until tumor diagnosis was significantly shorter in Group II (Group I, 48 weeks; Group II, 19.5 weeks). Also, the mean time from initial symptoms to surgery was significantly shorter for high-grade gliomas in Group II (Group I, 16.3 weeks; Group II, 11.7 weeks). For high- as well as low-grade gliomas, there was a clear reduction of the perioperative morbidity and mortality rates in Group II. Nevertheless, for the postoperative duration of survival, no significant differences were demonstrated for high- or low-grade gliomas. Based on the results of this study, the perioperative morbidity and mortality rate as well as the time from diagnosis to treatment have been remarkably reduced within the last 30 years. Nevertheless, the overall prognosis for patients with gliomas has not changed from the 1970s until today. Thus, the introduction of modern diagnostic modalities and surgical procedures has not improved the outcome in patients with glioma. Further research to improve the treatment of this disease is urgently needed.

Image-guided surgery: from X-rays to virtual reality

Since the discovery of X-rays, medical imaging has played a major role in the guidance of surgical procedures. While medical imaging began with simple X-ray plates to indicate the presence of foreign objects within the human body, the advent of the computer has been a major factor in the recent development of this field. Imaging techniques have grown greatly in their sophistication and can now provide the surgeon with high quality three-dimensional images depicting not only the normal anatomy and pathology, but also vascularity and function. One key factor in the advances in Image-Guided Surgery (IGS) is the ability not only to register images derived from the various imaging modalities amongst themselves, but also to register them to the patient. The other crucial aspect of IGS is the ability to track instruments in real time during the procedure, and to portray them as part of a realistic model of the operative volume. Stereoscopic and virtual-reality techniques can usefully enhance the visualization process. IGS nevertheless relies heavily on the assumption that the images acquired prior to surgery, and upon which the surgical guidance is based, accurately represent the morphology of the tissue during the surgical procedure. In many instances this assumption is invalid, and intra-operative real-time imaging, using interventional MRI, Ultrasound, and electrophysiological recordings are often employed to overcome this limitation. Although now in extensive clinical use, IGS is often currently perceived as an intrusion into the operating room. It must evolve towards becoming a routine surgical tool, but this will only happen if natural and intuitive human interfaces are developed for these systems.

The future of robotics can be ours

As the use of robotic aides increases the possibility of telesurgery, the perioperative scope of practice could include using patients' homes or other nontraditional settings as surgical sites. Even mobile surgical vans could be used. To perform telesurgery, the health care industry actively must define the role of the health care professional with the patient who can make an incision and insert a laparoscope. This may create an opportune time to promote the RN first assistant (RNFA) role--a goal that will involve expanding our state nurse practice acts to allow RNFAs to perform various functions for true advanced practice in nontraditional settings. Additionally, it will mean defining what functions and personnel must be available in these new creative settings. Current experiments have focused on using nonlicensed assistants, which can lead to legal and moral concerns. Legal and moral concerns include not only appropriate personnel, but also patient privacy. In telesurgery, patient information would be transmitted over communication lines, possibly seriously jeopardizing patient privacy. Perioperative nurses must be vigilant regarding patient privacy and continue to be patient advocates. Additional concerns relate to the possible complications or emergencies that can occur in any procedure, such as bleeding, cardiac arrest, or malignant hyperthermia. As this field is being developed, these concerns must be addressed, and possible complications and emergencies must be prepared for. All patients deserve highly trained individuals to care for them. It is a concern that unlicensed personnel are being considered to manage these potentially serious situations. It is now more important than ever that perioperative nurses stay on top of technologic advances. One surgeon stated that perioperative nurses are at a point in history in which they can make a difference--a potentially lifesaving difference. Nurses will have to be comfortable with new technology, know when it is working well, and be able to assess the patient's status critically. The use of robotic aides can decrease the amount of physical work that nurses do; however, they also have the capability to denigrate nurses' positions. If not careful, nurses could lose their focus on the caring aspect of the nursing profession. Although computers remain machines programmed by humans, it seems they more often are masters of information. Today, procedures can be performed in cyberspace as if surgeons were present at the surgical sites. Could robotic aides and computers do a better job than physicians and nurses, causing these health care providers to become extinct? Probably not. Although robots and computers may be able to replicate the knowledge and skill of physicians, patients require human interaction that computers cannot provide. This involves feelings and human communication beyond current technology, despite robotic engineers' continuing attempts to replicate this. The ultimate use of robotics remains uncertain; however, the human touch will not soon, if ever, be replaced by robotic technology. It is now of utmost urgency that all perioperative nurses refine and hone the caring skills that Florence Nightingale instilled to ensure their professional future. Robotics is a new and challenging aspect being added to nursing care. Nurses must take an active role, embrace this technology, and work to maximize their position with it.

Neurosurgical outcomes in a modern series of 400 craniotomies for treatment of parenchymal tumors

OBJECTIVE

The goals were to critically review all complications resulting within 30 days after craniotomies performed for excision of intra-axial brain tumors relative to factors likely to affect complication rates and to assess the value of these data in predicting the risk of surgical morbidity, particularly for surgery in eloquent brain regions.

METHODS

Neurosurgical outcomes were studied for 327 patients who underwent 400 craniotomies for removal of intra-axial parenchymal brain neoplasms in a 21-month period. Tumors removed included gliomas (206 tumors) and metastases (194 tumors) located both supratentorially (358 tumors) and infratentorially (42 tumors).

RESULTS

The major complication incidence was 13%, and the operative mortality rate was 1.7%. The overall morbidity rate was 32%, but more types of complications were considered than in previous studies. The major neurological morbidity rate was 8.5%. Based on pre- versus postoperative (at 4 wk) Karnofsky Performance Scale scores, 9% of patients deteriorated neurologically, 32% improved, and 58% showed no change. The median postoperative hospital stay was 5 days. Tumors were defined as Grade I, II, or III based on their location relative to brain function, and this tumor functional grade was the most important variable affecting the incidence of any neurological deficit. Patients with tumors in eloquent (Grade III) or near-eloquent (Grade II) brain areas incurred more neurological deficits than did patients with tumors in noneloquent areas (Grade I). Neither repeat surgery for recurrent disease nor extent of surgical resection affected outcome significantly. Although most tumors in this study, including those in eloquent regions, were removed by gross total resection, this did not lead to more major neurological deficits. Regional complications (at the surgical sites) and systemic complications (medical) were more prevalent among older patients (age >60 yr) with lower preoperative Karnofsky Performance Scale scores (< or = 50) and posterior fossa masses. We showed how our data can be used to predict the total risk of surgical morbidity for a given patient, to facilitate patient counseling and surgical decision-making.

CONCLUSION

The finding that gross total resections could be performed in eloquent brain regions with an acceptable level of neurological impairment suggested that the mere presence of a tumor in eloquent brain does not automatically contraindicate surgery. Our results have practical risk-predictive value, and they should aid in the construction of subsequent outcome studies, because we have identified the key areas to monitor.