Neuro-oncology: Under-recognized mental incapacity in brain tumour patients

Acupuncture and moxibustion for cancer-related psychological disorders: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

INTRODUCTION

Cancer-related psychological disorders (CRPD) with high incidence are often underdiagnosed and undertreated. Although, some studies suggested that acupuncture and moxibustion (AM) are effective and safe for CRPD, lacking strong evidence, for instance, the relevant systematic review, meta-analysis, and randomized control trial (RCT) of a large sample, multicenter, makes the effects and safety remain uncertain. The aim of protocol is to evaluating the RCTs of AM for CRPD to verify the association of AM with the improvement of CRPD.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

Eight electric databases (4 English databases and 4 Chinese databases) will be searched from inception to Mar. 2022. There will be no restrictions on the category of the language. The RCTs of AM for CRPD unlimited to any type of cancer will be included. Depression and anxiety scores will be the primary outcome indicators. Two researchers will independently complete study selection, evaluate the risk of bias, and extract the data. The RevMan 5.2 software will be used to conduct data synthesis using the random-effects model. The weighted mean differences or standardized mean differences with 95% CIs will be used to present the results of measurement data, and the risk ratios with 95% CIs will be used to express the counting data. Additionally, we will use the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation to assess evidence quality.

MAIN RESULTS

The results of the meta-analysis will be presented with tables and figures.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

The results of this meta-analysis and meta-regression will be disseminated via publication in peer-reviewed journals and will be published at relevant conferences. The data to be used will not contain individual patient data; therefore, there is no need to worry about patient privacy.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER

CRD42020177219.

Preoperative factors associated with adverse events during awake craniotomy: analysis of 609 consecutive cases

OBJECTIVE

Awake surgery is becoming more standard and widely practiced for neurosurgical cases, including but not limited to brain tumors. The optimal selection of patients who can tolerate awake surgery remains a challenge. The authors performed an updated cohort study, with particular attention to preoperative clinical and imaging characteristics that may have an impact on the viability of awake craniotomy in individual patients.

METHODS

The authors conducted a single-institution cohort study of 609 awake craniotomies performed in 562 patients. All craniotomies were performed by the same surgeon at Toronto Western Hospital during the period from 2006 to 2018. Analyses of preoperative clinical and imaging characteristics that may have an impact on the viability of awake craniotomy in individual patients were performed.

RESULTS

Twenty-one patients were recorded as having experienced intraoperative adverse events necessitating deeper sedation, which made the surgery no longer "awake." In 2 of these patients, conversion to general anesthesia was performed. The adverse events included emotional intolerance of awake surgery (n = 13), air embolism (n = 3), generalized seizure (n = 4), and unexpected subarachnoid hemorrhage (n = 1). Preoperative cognitive decline, dysphasia, and low performance status, as indicated by the Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) score, were significantly associated with emotional intolerance on univariate analysis. Only a preoperative KPS score < 70 was significantly associated with this event on multivariate analysis (p = 0.0057). Compared with patients who did not experience intraoperative adverse events, patients who did were more likely to undergo inpatient admission (p = 0.0004 for all cases; p = 0.0036 for cases originally planned as day surgery), longer hospital stay (p < 0.0001), and discharge to a location other than home (p = 0.032).

CONCLUSIONS

Preoperative physical status was found to be the most decisive factor in predicting whether patients can tolerate an awake craniotomy without complications, whereas older age and history of psychiatric treatment were not necessarily associated with adverse events. Patients who had intraoperative adverse events often had reduced chances of same-day discharge and discharge to home. Preoperative careful selection of patients who are most likely to tolerate the procedure is the key to success for awake surgery.

Lack of informed consent for surgical procedures by elderly patients with inability to consent: a retrospective chart review from an academic medical center in Norway

Background

Respect for patient autonomy and the requirement of informed consent is an essential basic patient right. It is constituted through international conventions and implemented in health law in Norway and most other countries. Healthcare without informed consent is only allowed under specific exceptions, which requires a record in the patient charts. In this study, we investigated how surgeons recorded decisions in situations where the elderly patient’s ability to provide a valid informed consent was questionable or clearly missing.

Method

We investigated all medical records of patients admitted to surgical departments in a Norwegian large academic emergency hospital over a period of 38 days (approximately 5000 patients). We selected records of patients above the age of 70 (570 patients) and searched through these 570 medical records for any noted clear indications of inability to consent such as “do not understand”, “confused” etc. (102 patients). We read through all the medical records on these 102 patients noting any recordings on lack of informed consent, any recordings on reasoning and process hereto. We also took note whether there were clear indications on the use of coercion.

Results

None of the 102 included patients´ charts contained legally valid recorded assessments (for example related to the patients´ competence to consent) when patients without the ability to consent were admitted and provided healthcare.

Some charts contained records that the patient resisted treatment, thus indicating treatment with coercion. In these situations, we did not find any documentation related to legal requirements that regulate the use of coercion.

Discussion and conclusion

We found a substantial lack of compliance with the legal requirements that apply when obtaining valid informed consent. There are many possible reasons for this: Lack of knowledge of the legal requirements, disagreement about the rules, or that it is simply not possible to comply with the extensive formal and material legal requirements in clinical practice. The results do not point out whether the appropriate measures are amending the law, educating and requiring more compliance from surgeons, or both.

The Effects of Brain Tumours upon Medical Decision-Making Capacity

Purpose of Review

Informed consent is the integral part of good medical practice in patients with brain tumours. Capacity to consent may be affected by the brain disorder or its treatment. We intend to draw upon the current neuro-oncology literature to discuss the influence intracranial tumours have upon patients’ capacity to consent to treatment and research.

Recent Findings

We performed a systematic review of studies of capacity to consent for treatment or research in patients with intracranial tumours. The search retrieved 1597 papers of which 8 were considered eligible for review.

Summary

Although there are obvious inherent limitations to solely assessing cognition, most research consistently demonstrated increased risk of incapacity in brain tumour patients with cognitive impairment. Specific items in cognitive screening batteries, for example Semantic Verbal Fluency Test (SVFT), Hopkins Verbal Learning Test (HVLT-Recall), and Trail Making Test A/B (TMT), are simple, easily applied tests that may act as significant red flags to identify patients at increased risk of incapacity and who subsequently will require additional cognitive/psychiatric evaluation or more formal tests for capacity to consent for treatment or research.

Changes in Cognition and Decision Making Capacity Following Brain Tumour Resection: Illustrated with Two Cases

Changes in cognition, behaviour and emotion frequently occur in patients with primary and secondary brain tumours. This impacts the ability to make considered decisions, especially following surgical resection, which is often overlooked in the management of patients. Moreover, the impact of cognitive deficits on decision making ability affects activities of daily living and functional independence. The assessment process to ascertain decision making capacity remains a matter of debate. One avenue for evaluating a patient’s ability to make informed decisions in the context of brain tumour resection is neuropsychological assessment. This involves the assessment of a wide range of cognitive abilities on standard measurement tools, providing a robust approach to ascertaining capacity. Evidence has shown that a comprehensive and tailored neuropsychological assessment has greater sensitivity than brief cognitive screening tools to detect subtle and/or specific cognitive deficits in brain tumours. It is the precise nature and severity of any cognitive deficits that determines any implications for decision making capacity. This paper focuses on cognitive deficits and decision making capacity following surgical resection of both benign and malignant, and primary and secondary brain tumours in adult patients, and the implications for patients’ ability to consent to future medical treatment and make decisions related to everyday activities.

Are neurosurgeons prepared to electively resample glioblastoma in patients without symptomatic relapse? A qualitative study

Background This is a qualitative study designed to examine neurosurgeons' and neuro-oncologists' perceptions of resampling surgery for glioblastoma multiforme electively, post-therapy or at asymptomatic relapse. Methods Twenty-six neurosurgeons, three radiation oncologists and one neuro-oncologist were selected using convenience sampling and interviewed. Participants were presented with hypothetical scenarios in which resampling surgery was offered within a clinical trial and another in which the surgery was offered on a routine basis. Results Over half of the participants were interested in doing this within a clinical trial. About a quarter of the participants would be willing to consider routine resampling surgery if: (1) a resection were done rather than a simple biopsy; (2) they could wait until the patient becomes symptomatic and (3) there was a preliminary in vitro study with existing tumour samples to be able to offer patients some trial drugs. The remaining quarter of participants was entirely against the trial. Participants also expressed concerns about resource allocation, financial barriers, possibilities of patient coercion and the fear of patients' inability to offer true informed consent. Conclusion Overall, if surgeons are convinced of the benefits of the trial from their information from scientists, and they feel that patients are providing truly informed consent, then the majority would be willing to consider performing the surgery. Many surgeons would still feel uncomfortable with the procedure unless they are able to offer the patient some benefit from the procedure such that the risk to benefit ratio is balanced.

Integrating psychosocial care into neuro-oncology: challenges and strategies

Approximately 256,000 cases of malignant brain and nervous system cancer were diagnosed worldwide during 2012 and 189,000 deaths, with this burden falling more heavily in the developed world. Problematically, research describing the psychosocial needs of people with brain tumors and their carers and the development and evaluation of intervention models has lagged behind that of more common cancers. This may relate, at least in part, to poor survival outcomes and high morbidity associated with this illness, and stigma about this disease. The evidence base for the benefits of psychosocial care in oncology has supported the production of clinical practice guidelines across the globe over the past decade, with a recent mandate to integrate the psychosocial domain and measurement of distress into routine care. Clinical care guidelines for people with brain tumors have emerged, with a building focus on psychosocial and survivorship care. However, researchers will need to work intensively with health care providers to ensure future practice is evidence-based and able to be implemented across both acute and community settings and likely within existing resources.