Resection of meningiomas in octogenarians: a comparison with a younger geriatric population

Nomogram for predicting cardiovascular disease mortality in patients with meningioma: a competing risk analysis

Cancer patients may have increased risk of cardiovascular mortality than general population. We designed this study to investigate the incidence and risk factors of cardiovascular mortality in meningioma patients. Meningioma patients recorded in Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database between 2004 and 2016 were eligible for this study. The standardized mortality ratio (SMR) was calculated to present the relative risk of cardiovascular mortality (ICD-10 codes I00-I99) in meningioma patients compared with general population. Fine-Gray subdistribution proportional hazards regression was performed to identify risk factors of cardiovascular mortality and construct nomogram for predicting cardiovascular-specific survival in meningioma patients. Among 94,067 meningioma patients included in this study, 6145 (6.5%) and 16549 (17.6%) patients died due to cardiovascular diseases and other causes, respectively. The cardiovascular disease-related SMR of included meningioma patients was 25.31 compared with the general population. Results of multivariate competing risk analysis showed that age, male gender, race, marital status, insurance status, tumor size, tumor location, histologic type, and surgery options were risk factors of cardiovascular mortality. The C-index of our constructed nomogram for predicting cardiovascular specific survival was 0.730 (0.712-0.748) and 0.726 (0.696-0.756) in training cohort and validation cohort, respectively. Incorporating demographic and clinical variables, the nomogram we constructed is effective in predicting cardiovascular mortality in meningioma patients and could guide physicians to reasonably control clinical risk factors of cardiovascular mortality in meningioma patients.

Octogenarian Brain Tumor Registry: Single-Institution Surgical Outcomes and Mortality Study

BACKGROUND

Surgical intervention for brain tumor patients aged 80 to 89 years is controversial, as the comorbidities and physiology associated with aging are often thought to increase surgical risks. Surgical outcomes, however, are not well characterized for octogenarians. This review therefore assessed the outcomes and mortality risk associated with tumor removal in octogenarians at our academic institution.

METHODS

Retrospective review of patients aged 80 to 89 who underwent craniotomy for tumor resection (CTR) at our institution between 2004-2021 and who were diagnosed with meningioma, glioblastoma, or metastatic disease. Primary outcome was 30-day mortality.

RESULTS

Sixty-one CTRs were included in analysis. Median age was 83 (interquartile range 81-85) years, and the most common preoperative comorbidity was hypertension (n=44). Most patients (n=35) had a preoperative modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score between 0-2. Seventeen (27.9%) patients experienced postoperative complications (i.e., urinary tract infection, deep venous thrombosis, etc.), and 26.2% (n=16) experienced new-onset neurologic deficits postoperatively (i.e., aphasia, motor deficits, etc.). Upon discharge, most patients (n=43) had an mRS score of 3-4. Within 30 days of surgery, 14.8% (n=9) of patients were readmitted to the hospital and 8.2% (n=5) of patients died: 2 with meningioma, 1 with glioblastoma, and 2 with metastatic disease. The most common cause of death was intracranial hemorrhage (n=3). Three-month mortality was 23.0% (n=14). Mean survival after surgery was 33 months for meningioma patients, 6.9 months for glioblastoma patients, and 15 months for patients with metastatic lesions.

CONCLUSION

Our review found a 30-day mortality rate of 8.2% across all tumor types, and mean survival was similar to that previously reported for patients across all age groups. Surgical intervention for octogenarian tumor patients is therefore feasible, safe, and likely worthwhile for extending and improving lives.

Mortality of surgically treated 80-year-old or older intracranial meningioma patients in comparison to matched general population

Population aging is likely increasing the number of surgically treated very old (≥ 80-year-old) intracranial meningioma (IM) patients. Since there is little data on mortality in this patient group, we studied whether survival of surgically treated very old IM patients differs from survival of a matched general population. We retrospectively identified 83 consecutive very old IM patients (median age 83 years; 69% women) operated between 2010 and 2018. During the first postoperative year, operated IM patients suffered 2.5 times higher mortality as compared to age- and sex-matched general population but no annual survival difference occurred thereafter. Regarding cumulative estimates, no excess mortality was detected after the second postoperative year. Of the patient who were and who were not able to live at home preoperatively, 78% and 42% lived at home within 3 months, respectively. Preoperative loss of capability to live at home associated with a less frequent return to home [odds ratio (95% confidence interval) 0.21 (0.06-0.67)]. Operated very old IM patients had short-term excess mortality but similar cumulative survival as the matched general population. Moreover, most patients returned home soon after surgery.

Brain Tumor Resection in Elderly Patients: Potential Factors of Postoperative Worsening in a Predictive Outcome Model

Simple Summary

Brain tumor surgery in older patients is becoming more relevant, considering that the proportion of older adults being treated for cancer is rising, whereas some pivotal studies in neuro-oncology comprised young patients only. The knowledge of possible predictors of outcome should be included in the preoperative assessment to make the best possible decision in terms of management. We present a case series of 143 patients older than 65 years, intending to identify the possible factors predicting the risk of clinical worsening after elective surgical resection of intracranial tumors in elderly patients. We found that postoperative complications occurrence and preoperative surgical complexity significantly influence the outcome in this subgroup of patients, whereas postoperative complications were the only factor with an impact also at long-term follow-up.

Abstract

The decision of whether to operate on elderly patients with brain tumors is complex, and influenced by pathology-related and patient-specific factors. This retrospective cohort study, based on a prospectively collected surgical database, aims at identifying possible factors predicting clinical worsening after elective neuro-oncological surgery in elderly patients. Therefore, all patients ≥65 years old who underwent BT resection at a tertiary referral center between 01/2018 and 12/2019 were included. Age, smoking, previous radiotherapy, hypertension, preoperative functional status, complications occurrence, surgical complexity and the presence of comorbidities were prospectively collected and analyzed at discharge and the 3-month follow-up. The series included 143 patients (mean 71 years, range 65–86). Sixty-five patients (46%) had at least one neurosurgical complication, whereas 48/65 (74%) complications did not require invasive treatment. Forty-two patients (29.4%) worsened at discharge; these patients had a greater number of complications compared to patients with unchanged/improved performance status. A persistent worsening at three months of follow-up was noted in 20.3% of patients; again, this subgroup presented more complications than patients who remained equal or improved. Therefore, postoperative complications and surgical complexity seem to influence significantly the early outcome in elderly patients undergoing brain tumor surgery. In contrast, postoperative complications alone are the only factor with an impact on the 3-month follow-up.

Functional outcome and quality of life after meningioma surgery: a systematic review

Assessment of long-term functional outcomes after meningioma surgery is important. We systematically reviewed the literature on health-related quality of life (HrQoL) and functional disability (FD) of patients after surgery for intracranial meningiomas. Using PRISMA 2015 guidelines, we screened 289 abstracts and 43 titles were retained for full-paper screening. 15 articles did not present enough data to meet the inclusion criteria and 7 articles failed to assess functional assessment and HrQoL. Twenty-two articles were included in our review. HrQol was assessed in N = 18 publications, most frequently using SF-36 (N = 10), followed by EQ5D-5L (N = 4), EORTC-QLQ (N = 4), and the FACT questionnaire (N = 2). The assessment of FD was reported in N = 11 publications, mostly using the KPS (N = 8). The Barthel index was used in N = 2 publications. Follow-up was reported in N = 12 publications, ranging from 6 months to 9 years. Scientific publications assessing long-term postoperative HrQol and FD in patients undergoing meningioma surgery are scarce and the data are heterogeneously reported, using various scales and follow-up protocols. Efforts should be undertaken to uniformly assess long-term post-operative functional outcomes in meningioma patients.

Surgery on giant meningiomas in very old patients entails frequent postoperative intracranial hemorrhages and atypical histopathology

Purpose

Surgical resection of intracranial meningiomas in patients that are 80 years old and older, i.e. very old patients, is increasingly considered. Meningiomas with a largest diameter of at least 5 cm—‘giant meningiomas’—form a distinct entity, and their surgical resection is considered more difficult and prone to complications. Here, we evaluated functional outcome, morbidity and mortality, and the prognostic value of tumor size in very old patients who underwent resection of giant supratentorial meningiomas.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed clinical and radiological data, functional performance (Karnofsky Performance Score), histopathological diagnosis and complications of very old patients who underwent surgery of a supratentorial meningioma at the Helsinki University Hospital between 2010 and 2018.

Results

We identified 76 very old patients, including 28 with a giant meningioma. Patients with a giant meningioma suffered from major complications more commonly than those with a non-giant meningioma (36% vs. 17%, p = 0.06), particularly from postoperative intracranial hemorrhages (ICH). At the 1-year follow-up, functional performance and mortality rate were comparable between patients with giant meningiomas and those with non-giant meningiomas. An exceptionally high rate of giant meningiomas were diagnosed as atypical meningiomas (WHO II) at an (11 out of 28 cases).

Conclusions

Giant meningioma surgery entails a high complication rate in frail, very old patients. The prevention of postoperative ICH in this specific patient group is of utmost importance. An atypical histopathology was notably frequent among very old patients with a giant meningioma, which should be taken into account when planning the surgical strategy.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11060-020-03693-4.

ACKT: A Proposal for a Novel Score to Predict Prolonged Mechanical Ventilation after Surgical Treatment of Meningioma in Geriatric Patients

Indication for surgical treatment in patients with intracranial meningioma must include both clinical aspects and an individual risk-benefit stratification, especially in geriatric patients. Prolonged mechanical ventilation (PMV) has not been investigated for its potential effects in patients with meningioma. We therefore analyzed the impact of PMV on mortality in geriatric patients who had undergone meningioma resection. Between 2009 and 2019, 261 patients aged ≥ 70 years were surgically treated for intracranial meningioma at our institution. PMV was defined as postoperative invasive ventilation of >7 days. Postoperative PMV was present in 17 of 261 geriatric meningioma patients (7%). Twenty-five geriatric patients (10%) died within 1 year after surgery. A scoring system ("ACKT") based on the variables of age, preoperative C-reactive protein (CRP) value, Karnofsky performance scale and tumor size supports prediction of postoperative PMV (sensitivity 73%, specificity 84%). PMV is significantly associated with increased mortality after surgical treatment of meningiomas in geriatric patients. Furthermore, we suggest a novel score ("ACKT") to preoperatively estimate the risk of PMV occurrence, which might help to guide future risk-benefit assessment and patient counseling in the geriatric meningioma population.