Neurologic Complications of Cancer: Part 1

Surgery for brain metastases: radiooncology scores predict survival-score index for radiosurgery, graded prognostic assessment, recursive partitioning analysis

BACKGROUND

Radiooncological scores are used to stratify patients for radiation therapy. We assessed their ability to predict overall survival (OS) in patients undergoing surgery for metastatic brain disease.

METHODS

We performed a post-hoc single-center analysis of 175 patients, prospectively enrolled in the MetastaSys study data. Score index of radiosurgery (SIR), graded prognostic assessment (GPA), and recursive partitioning analysis (RPA) were assessed. All scores consider age, systemic disease, and performance status prior to surgery. Furthermore, GPA and SIR include the number of intracranial lesions while SIR additionally requires metastatic lesion volume. Predictive values for case fatality at 1 year after surgery were compared among scoring systems.

RESULTS

All scores produced accurate reflections on OS after surgery (p ≤ 0.003). Median survival was 21-24 weeks in patients scored in the unfavorable cohorts, respectively. In cohorts with favorable scores, median survival ranged from 42 to 60 weeks. Favorable SIR was associated with a hazard ratio (HR) of 0.44 [0.29, 0.66] for death within 1 year. For GPA, the HR amounted to 0.44 [0.25, 0.75], while RPA had a HR of 0.30 [0.14, 0.63]. Overall test performance was highest for the SIR.

CONCLUSIONS

All scores proved useful in predicting OS. Considering our data, we recommend using the SIR for preoperative prognostic evaluation and counseling.

Gastrointestinal cancer and brain metastasis: a rare and ominous sign

Metastatic brain tumors represent 20% to 40% of all intracranial neoplasms and are found most frequently in association with lung cancer (50%) and breast cancer (12%). Although brain metastases occur in <4% of all tumors of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, the incidence of GI brain metastasis is rising in part due to more effective systemic treatments and prolonged survival of patients with GI cancer. Data were collected from 25 studies (11 colorectal, 7 esophageal, 2 gastric, 1 pancreatic, 1 intestinal, 3 all-inclusive GI tract cancer) and 13 case reports (4 pancreatic, 4 gallbladder, and 5 small bowel cancer). Brain metastases are found in 1% of colorectal cancer, 1.2% of esophageal cancer, 0.62% of gastric cancer, and 0.33% of pancreatic cancer cases. Surgical resection with whole brain radiation therapy (WBRT) has been associated with the longest median survival (38.4-262 weeks) compared with surgery alone (16.4-70.8 weeks), stereotactic radiosurgery (20-38 weeks), WBRT alone (7.2-16 weeks), or steroids (4-7 weeks). Survival in patients with brain metastasis from GI cancer was found to be diminished compared with metastases arising from the breast, lung, or kidney. Prolonged survival and improvement in clinical symptoms has been found to be best achieved with surgical resection and WBRT. Although early treatment has been linked to prolonged survival and improved quality of life, brain metastases represent a late manifestation of GI cancers and remain an ominous sign.

Neoplastic meningitis.Review of a clinical series

INTRODUCTION

The increase in the ageing population in the last decades has led to an increased frequency of cancer-associated complications. Among these, neurological disorders stand out, as they appear in 10-30% of patients with systemic neoplasia. Neoplastic meningitis accounts for 4-15% of patients with solid tumours and it has a poor prognosis. The objective of this paper is to describe the clinical, imaging and prognostic characteristics as well as cerebrospinal fluid findings in a series of neoplastic meningitis.

BACKGROUND AND DEVELOPMENT

We performed a retrospective review of all patients admitted to the Hospital Universitario of Gran Canaria Dr. Negrín with clinical suspicion of neoplastic meningitis between 1990 and 2008. We selected 37 patients with an average age ranging from 15 to 75 years old. A total of 81.8% of the cases in which a primary tumour was found were associated with solid tumours (24.2% were located in the breast, and 24.2% in the lung). The most frequent sign of cranial nerve dysfunction was dyplopia, which was observed in 32.4% of the cases. The average survival rate after diagnosis was 87.9 days (12.6 weeks). The cerebrospinal fluid cytology was positive in 46.4% of the cases.

CONCLUSION

Neoplastic meningitis is a severe complication of both solid and haematological tumours. We stress the importance of maintaining a high level of suspicion to achieve early diagnosis, since the average survival probability for neoplastic meningitis patients is low.

Considerations for airway management for cervical spine surgery in adults

Surgery on the cervical spine runs the gamut from minor interventions done in a minimally invasive fashion on a short-stay or ambulatory basis, to major surgical undertakings of a high-risk, high-threat nature done to stabilize a degraded skeletal structure to preserve and protect neural elements. Planning for optimum airway management and anesthesia care is facilitated by an appreciation of the disease processes that affect the cervical spine and their biomechanical implications and an understanding of the imaging and operative techniques used to evaluate and treat these conditions. This article provides background information and evidence to allow the anesthesia practitioner to develop a conceptual framework within which to develop strategies for care when a patient is presented for surgery on the cervical spine.