[ViaCogScreen: An Efficient, Valid, and Repeatable Screening Tool for Cognitive Performance Assessment of the Elderly]. / ViaCogScreen: ein zeitökonomisches, valides und wiederholbares Screeningverfahren zum Leistungsmonitoring älterer Menschen.

Given the demographic change with an aging society in Germany, cognitive performance assessment of the elderly is of great importance. The Viacogscreen developed by us is a computer- and web-based brain performance screening for older adults that not only meets the criteria of a measurement instrument, but is also economical and repeatable. The test captures interlocking word list learning with delayed free recall and recognition, semantic word selection and fluidity, phonemic word fluidity and inverted number range, as well as incidental memory, resulting in a total of 17 performance parameters that provide a quick orientation (approximate test duration: 10-12 minutes) regarding the cognitive performance of a test subject. Three performance areas are depicted: executive functions, episodic and semantic memory. The test was standardized for 200 healthy test subjects in 6 different age groups (range: 50-85 years). For the first clinical validation, the test was used in the memory clinics in Bonn and Ulm, where 33 patients with MCI (mild cognitive impairment) and 42 patients with suspected Alzheimer's disease (VAD) were tested. A control group of 42 healthy people of approximately the same age served as the control group. With regard to the cognitive test procedure, all three groups showed significantly different results regarding the overall score (ANOVA F=73.9, p<0.001), executive functions (F=27.6 p<0.001) and semantic memory (F=54.4 p<0.001). Regarding episodic memory, both clinical groups differed significantly from the control group, but not from each other (F=48.7, p<0.001). The Viacogscreen thus produced very good results in its first validation in two memory clinics with regard to differentiation of VAD, and good results with regard to MCI. In addition to use in neurodegenerative diseases, the Viacogscreen is also suitable for other neurological and neuro-oncological diseases, as well as for use in large clinical studies since it enables electronic data collection.

Survival after resection of brain metastasis: impact of synchronous versus metachronous metastatic disease.

PURPOSE: Patients with brain metastasis (BM) from solid tumors are in an advanced stage of cancer. BM may occur during a known oncological disease (metachronous BM) or be the primary manifestation of previously unknown cancer (synchronous BM). The time of diagnosis might decisively impact patient prognosis and further treatment stratification. In the present study, we analyzed the prognostic impact of synchronous versus (vs.) metachronous BM occurrence following resection of BM. METHODS: Between 2013 and 2018, 353 patients had undergone surgical therapy for BM at the authors' neuro-oncological center. Survival stratification calculated from the day of neurosurgical resection was performed for synchronous vs. metachronous BM diagnosis. RESULTS: Non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) was the most common tumor entity of primary site (43%) followed by gastrointestinal cancer (14%) and breast cancer (13%). Synchronous BM occurrence was present in 116 of 353 patients (33%), metachronous BM occurrence was present in 237 of 353 patients (67%). NSCLC was significantly more often diagnosed via resection of the BM (56% synchronous vs. 44% metachronous situation, p = 0.0001). The median overall survival for patients with synchronous BM diagnosis was 12 months (95% confidence interval (CI) 7.5-16.5) compared to 13 months (95% CI 9.6-16.4) for patients with metachronous BM diagnosis (p = 0.97). CONCLUSIONS: The present study indicates that time of BM diagnosis (synchronous vs. metachronous) does not significantly impact patient survival following surgical therapy of BM. These results suggest that the indication for neurosurgical BM resection should be made regardless of a synchronous or a metachronous time of BM occurrence.

The proneural subtype is not associated with survival benefit from bevacizumab in newly diagnosed glioblastoma: a secondary analysis of the GLARIUS trial.

PURPOSE: The AVAglio trial reported a significant survival benefit for first line bevacizumab treatment in patients with IDH wildtype glioblastoma of the proneural gene expression subtype. We here aim to replicate these findings in an independent trial cohort. METHODS: We evaluate the treatment benefit of bevacizumab according to gene expression subtypes of pretreatment tumor samples (n = 123) in the GLARIUS trial (NCT00967330) for MGMT unmethylated glioblastoma patients with Kaplan-Meier analyses, log-rank tests and Cox regression models. RESULTS: Employing the Phillips classifier, bevacizumab conferred a significant PFS advantage in patients with proneural IDH wild-type tumors (10.4 vs. 6.0 months, p = 0.002), but no OS advantage (16.4 vs. 17.4 months, p = 0.6). Multivariable analysis adjusting for prognostic covariates confirmed the absence of a significant OS advantage from bevacizumab (hazard ratio, 1.05, 95% CI, 0.42 to 2.64; p = 0.14). Further, there was no interaction between the proneural subtype and treatment arm (p = 0.15). These results were confirmed in analyses of tumor subgroups according to the Verhaak classifier. CONCLUSION: In contrast to AVAglio, glioblastoma gene expression subgroups were not associated with a differential OS benefit from first-line bevacizumab in the GLARIUS trial.

Undetected pseudoprogressions in the CeTeG/NOA-09 trial: hints from postprogression survival and MRI analyses.

PURPOSE: In the randomized CeTeG/NOA-09 trial, lomustine/temozolomide (CCNU/TMZ) was superior to TMZ therapy regarding overall survival (OS) in MGMT promotor-methylated glioblastoma. Progression-free survival (PFS) and pseudoprogression rates (about 10%) were similar in both arms. Further evaluating this discrepancy, we analyzed patterns of postprogression survival (PPS) and MRI features at first progression according to modified RANO criteria (mRANO). METHODS: We classified the patients of the CeTeG/NOA-09 trial according to long vs. short PPS employing a cut-off of 18 months and compared baseline characteristics and survival times. In patients with available MRIs and confirmed progression, the increase in T1-enhancing, FLAIR hyperintense lesion volume and the change in ADC mean value of contrast-enhancing tumor upon progression were determined. RESULTS: Patients with long PPS in the CCNU/TMZ arm had a particularly short PFS (5.6 months). PFS in this subgroup was shorter than in the long PPS subgroup of the TMZ arm (11.1 months, p = 0.01). At mRANO-defined progression, patients of the CCNU/TMZ long PPS subgroup had a significantly higher increase of mean ADC values (p = 0.015) and a tendency to a stronger volumetric increase in T1-enhancement (p = 0.22) as compared to long PPS patients of the TMZ arm. CONCLUSION: The combination of survival and MRI analyses identified a subgroup of CCNU/TMZ-treated patients with features that sets them apart from other patients in the trial: short first PFS despite long PPS and significant increase in mean ADC values upon mRANO-defined progression. The observed pattern is compatible with the features commonly observed in pseudoprogression suggesting mRANO-undetected pseudoprogressions in the CCNU/TMZ arm of CeTeG/NOA-09.

Outcome assessment of intraoperative radiotherapy for brain metastases: results of a prospective observational study with comparative matched-pair analysis.

PURPOSE: Intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) is an emerging alternative to adjuvant stereotactic external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) following resection of brain metastases (BM). Advantages of IORT include an instant prevention of tumor regrowth, optimized dose-sparing of adjacent healthy brain tissue and immediate completion of BM treatment, allowing an earlier admission to subsequent systemic treatments. However, prospective outcome data are limited. We sought to assess long-term outcome of IORT in comparison to EBRT. METHODS: A total of 35 consecutive patients, prospectively recruited within a study registry, who received IORT following BM resection at a single neuro-oncological center were evaluated for radiation necrosis (RN) incidence rates, local control rates (LCR), distant brain progression (DBP) and overall survival (OS) as long-term outcome parameters. The 1 year-estimated OS and survival rates were compared in a balanced comparative matched-pair analysis to those of our institutional database, encompassing 388 consecutive patients who underwent adjuvant EBRT after BM resection. RESULTS: The median IORT dose was 30 Gy prescribed to the applicator surface. A 2.9% RN rate was observed. The estimated 1 year-LCR was 97.1% and the 1 year-DBP-free survival 73.5%. Median time to DBP was 6.4 (range 1.7-24) months in the subgroup of patients experiencing intracerebral progression. The median OS was 17.5 (0.5-not reached) months with a 1 year-survival rate of 61.3%, which did not not significantly differ from the comparative cohort (p = 0.55 and p = 0.82, respectively). CONCLUSION: IORT is a safe and effective fast-track approach following BM resection, with comparable long-term outcomes as adjuvant EBRT.

Intraoperative or postoperative stereotactic radiotherapy for brain metastases: time to systemic treatment onset and other patient-relevant outcomes.

PURPOSE: Intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) has become a viable treatment option for resectable brain metastases (BMs). As data on local control and radiation necrosis rates are maturing, we focus on meaningful secondary endpoints such as time to next treatment (TTNT), duration of postoperative corticosteroid treatment, and in-hospital time. METHODS: Patients prospectively recruited within an IORT study registry between November 2020 and June 2023 were compared with consecutive patients receiving adjuvant stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) of the resection cavity within the same time frame. TTNT was defined as the number of days between BM resection and start of the next extracranial oncological therapy (systemic treatment, surgery, or radiotherapy) for each of the groups. RESULTS: Of 95 BM patients screened, IORT was feasible in 84 cases (88%) and ultimately performed in 64 (67%). The control collective consisted of 53 SRT patients. There were no relevant differences in clinical baseline features. Mean TTNT (range) was 36 (9 - 94) days for IORT patients versus 52 (11 - 126) days for SRT patients (p = 0.01). Mean duration of postoperative corticosteroid treatment was similar (8 days; p = 0.83), as was mean postoperative in-hospital time (11 versus 12 days; p = 0.97). Mean total in-hospital time for BM treatment (in- and out-patient days) was 11 days for IORT versus 19 days for SRT patients (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: IORT for BMs results in faster completion of interdisciplinary treatment when compared to adjuvant SRT, without increasing corticosteroid intake or prolonging in-hospital times. A randomised phase III trial will determine the clinical effects of shorter TTNT.

Postoperative prolonged mechanical ventilation in patients with surgically treated pyogenic spondylodiscitis: a surrogate endpoint for early postoperative mortality.

Surgical procedures with spinal instrumentation constitute a prevalent and occasionally highly indicated treatment modality in patients with pyogenic spondylodiscitis (PSD). However, surgical therapy might be associated with the need of prolonged postoperative intensive care medicine which in turn might impair intended operative benefit. Therefore, we analyzed prolonged mechanical ventilation (PMV) as an indicator variable for such intensive care treatment with regard to potential correlations with mortality in this vulnerable patient cohort. Between 2012 and 2018, 177 consecutive patients received stabilization surgery for PSD at the authors' neurosurgical department. PMV was defined as postoperative mechanical ventilation of more than 24 h. A multivariable analysis was performed to identify independent predictors for 30-day mortality. Twenty-three out of 177 patients (13%) with PSD suffered from postoperative PMV. Thirty-day mortality rate was 5%. Multivariable analysis identified "spinal empyema" (p = 0.02, odds ratio (OR) 6.2, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.3-30.2), "Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) > 2" (p = 0.04, OR 4.0, 95% CI 1.0-15.5), "early postoperative complications (PSIs)" (p = 0.001, OR 17.1, 95% CI 3.1-96.0) and "PMV > 24 hrs" (p = 0.002, OR 13.0, 95% CI 2.7-63.8) as significant and independent predictors for early postoperative mortality. The present study indicates PMV to significantly correlate to elevated early postoperative mortality rates following stabilization surgery for PSD. These results might entail further scientific efforts to investigate PMV as a so far underestimated negative prognostic factor in the surgical treatment of PSD.

Survival in patients with surgically treated brain metastases: does infratentorial location matter?

Surgical resection is a common treatment modality for brain metastasis (BM). Location of the BM might significantly impact patient survival and therefore might be considered in clinical decision making and patient counseling. In the present study, the authors analyzed infra- and supratentorial BM location for a potential prognostic difference. Between 2013 and 2019, 245 patients with solitary BM received BM resection at the authors' neuro-oncological center. In order to produce a covariate balance for commonly-known prognostic variables (tumor entity, age, preoperative Karnofsky Performance Score, and preoperative Charlson Comorbidity Index), a propensity score matching at a ratio of 1:1 between the cohort of patients with infra- and supratentorial BM location was performed using R. Overall survival (OS) rates were assessed for both matched cohorts of patients with BM. Sixty-one of 245 patients (25%) with solitary BM exhibited an infratentorial tumor location; 184 patients (75%) suffered from supratentorial solitary BM. Patients with infratentorial BM revealed a median OS of 11 months (95% confidence interval (CI) 7.4-14.6 months). Compared with this, median OS for the group of 61 individually matched patients with solitary supratentorial solitary BM was 13 months (95% CI 10.9-15.1 months) (p = 0.32). The present study suggests that the prognostic value of infra- and supratentorial BMs does not significantly differ in patients that undergo surgery for solitary BM. These results might encourage physicians to induce surgical therapy of supra- and infratentorial BM in a similar manner.

Incurring detriments of unplanned readmission to the intensive care unit following surgery for brain metastasis.

OBJECT: Postoperative intensive care unit (ICU) monitoring is a common regime after neurosurgical resection of brain metastasis (BM). In comparison, unplanned secondary readmission to the ICU after initial postoperative treatment course occurs in response to adverse events and might significantly impact patient prognosis. In the present study, we analyzed the potential prognostic implications of unplanned readmission to the ICU and aimed at identifying preoperatively collectable risk factors for the development of such adverse events. METHODS: Between 2013 and 2018, 353 patients with BM had undergone BM resection at the authors' institution. Secondary ICU admission was defined as any unplanned admission to the ICU during the initial hospital stay. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to identify preoperatively identifiable risk factors for unplanned ICU readmission. RESULTS: A total of 19 patients (5%) were readmitted to the ICU. Median overall survival (mOS) of patients with unplanned ICU readmission was 2 months (mo) compared to 13 mo for patients without secondary ICU admission (p<0.0001). Multivariable analysis identified "multiple BM" (p=0.02) and "preoperative CRP levels > 10 mg/dl" (p=0.01) as significant and independent predictors of secondary ICU admission. CONCLUSIONS: Unplanned ICU readmission following surgical therapy for BM is significantly related to poor OS. Furthermore, the present study identifies routinely collectable risk factors indicating patients that are at a high risk for unplanned ICU readmission after BM surgery.

Unplanned intensive care unit readmission after surgical treatment in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma - forfeiture of surgically achieved advantages?

Postoperative intensive care unit (ICU) monitoring is an established option to ensure patient safety after resection of newly diagnosed glioblastoma. In contrast, secondary unplanned ICU readmission following complicating events during the initial postoperative course might be associated with severe morbidity and impair initially intended surgical benefit. In the present study, we assessed the prognostic impact of secondary ICU readmission and aimed to identify preoperatively ascertainable risk factors for the development of such adverse events in patients treated surgically for newly diagnosed glioblastoma. Between 2013 and 2018, 240 patients were surgically treated for newly diagnosed glioblastoma at the authors' neuro-oncological center. Secondary ICU readmission was defined as any unplanned admission to the ICU during initial hospital stay. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to identify preoperatively measurable risk factors for unplanned ICU readmission. Nineteen of 240 glioblastoma patients (8%) were readmitted to the ICU. Median overall survival of patients with unplanned ICU readmission was 9 months compared to 17 months for patients without secondary ICU readmission (p=0.008). Multivariable analysis identified "preoperative administration of dexamethasone > 7 days" (p=0.002) as a significant and independent predictor of secondary unplanned ICU admission. Secondary ICU readmission following surgery for newly diagnosed glioblastoma is significantly associated with poor survival and thus may negate surgically achieved prerequisites for further treatment. This underlines the indispensability of precise patient selection as well as the importance of further scientific debate on these highly relevant aspects for patient safety.

Prognostic impact of obesity in newly-diagnosed glioblastoma: a secondary analysis of CeTeG/NOA-09 and GLARIUS.

PURPOSE: The role of obesity in glioblastoma remains unclear, as previous analyses have reported contradicting results. Here, we evaluate the prognostic impact of obesity in two trial populations; CeTeG/NOA-09 (n = 129) for MGMT methylated glioblastoma patients comparing temozolomide (TMZ) to lomustine/TMZ, and GLARIUS (n = 170) for MGMT unmethylated glioblastoma patients comparing TMZ to bevacizumab/irinotecan, both in addition to surgery and radiotherapy. METHODS: The impact of obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2) on overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) was investigated with Kaplan-Meier analysis and log-rank tests. A multivariable Cox regression analysis was performed including known prognostic factors as covariables. RESULTS: Overall, 22.6% of patients (67 of 297) were obese. Obesity was associated with shorter survival in patients with MGMT methylated glioblastoma (median OS 22.9 (95% CI 17.7-30.8) vs. 43.2 (32.5-54.4) months for obese and non-obese patients respectively, p = 0.001), but not in MGMT unmethylated glioblastoma (median OS 17.1 (15.8-18.9) vs 17.6 (14.7-20.8) months, p = 0.26). The prognostic impact of obesity in MGMT methylated glioblastoma was confirmed in a multivariable Cox regression (adjusted odds ratio: 2.57 (95% CI 1.53-4.31), p < 0.001) adjusted for age, sex, extent of resection, baseline steroids, Karnofsky performance score, and treatment arm. CONCLUSION: Obesity was associated with shorter survival in MGMT methylated, but not in MGMT unmethylated glioblastoma patients.

Perioperative red blood cell transfusion is associated with poor functional outcome and overall survival in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma.

The influence of perioperative red blood cell (RBC) transfusion on prognosis of glioblastoma patients continues to be inconclusive. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the association between perioperative blood transfusion (PBT) and overall survival (OS) in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma. Between 2013 and 2018, 240 patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma underwent surgical resection of intracerebral mass lesion at the authors' institution. PBT was defined as the transfusion of RBC within 5 days from the day of surgery. The impact of PBT on overall survival was assessed using Kaplan-Meier analysis and multivariate regression analysis. Seventeen out of 240 patients (7%) with newly diagnosed glioblastoma received PBT. The overall median number of blood units transfused was 2 (95% CI 1-6). Patients who received PBT achieved a poorer median OS compared to patients without PBT (7 versus 18 months; p < 0.0001). Multivariate analysis identified "age > 65 years" (p < 0.0001, OR 6.4, 95% CI 3.3-12.3), "STR" (p = 0.001, OR 3.2, 95% CI 1.6-6.1), "unmethylated MGMT status" (p < 0.001, OR 3.3, 95% CI 1.7-6.4), and "perioperative RBC transfusion" (p = 0.01, OR 6.0, 95% CI 1.5-23.4) as significantly and independently associated with 1-year mortality. Perioperative RBC transfusion compromises survival in patients with glioblastoma indicating the need to minimize the use of transfusions at the time of surgery. Obeying evidence-based transfusion guidelines provides an opportunity to reduce transfusion rates in this population with a potentially positive effect on survival.

Tumor-associated epilepsy in patients with brain metastases: necrosis-to-tumor ratio forecasts postoperative seizure freedom.

Surgical resection is highly effective in the treatment of tumor-related epilepsy (TRE) in patients with brain metastases (BM). Nevertheless, some patients suffer from postoperative persistent epilepsy which negatively impacts health-related quality of life. Therefore, early identification of patients with potentially unfavorable seizure outcome after BM resection is important. Patients with TRE that had undergone surgery for BM at the authors' institution between 2013 and 2018 were analyzed with regard to preoperatively identifiable risk factors for unfavorable seizure outcome. Tumor tissue and tumor necrosis ratios were assessed volumetrically. According to the classification of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE), seizure outcome was categorized as favorable (ILAE 1) and unfavorable (ILAE 2-6) after 3 months in order to avoid potential interference with adjuvant cancer treatment. Among all 38 patients undergoing neurosurgical treatment for BM with concomitant TRE, 34 patients achieved a favorable seizure outcome (90%). Unfavorable seizure outcome was significantly associated with larger tumor volumes (p = 0.012), a midline shift > 7 mm (p = 0.025), and a necrosis/tumor volume ratio > 0.2 (p = 0.047). The present study identifies preoperatively collectable risk factors for unfavorable seizure outcome in patients with BM and TRE. This might enable to preselect for highly vulnerable patients with postoperative persistent epilepsy who might benefit from accompanying neuro-oncological expertise during further systemical treatment regimes.

Treatment-Limiting Decisions in Patients with Spontaneous Intracerebral Hemorrhage.

Background and Objectives: Treatment-limiting decisions (TLDs) are employed to actively withhold treatment/invasive interventions from patients in whom clinicians feel they would derive little to no benefit and/or suffer detrimental effects. Data regarding the employment of TLDs in patients with spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) remain sparse. Accordingly, this study sought to investigate both the prevalence of TLDs and factors driving TLDs in patients suffering from spontaneous ICH. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective study of 249 consecutive patients with ICH treated from 2018−2019 at the Neurovascular Center of the University Hospital Bonn. Reasons deemed critical in the decision-making process with regard to TLD were ultimately extracted/examined via chart review of qualifying patients. Results: A total of 249 patients with ICH were included within the final analyses. During the time period examined, 49 patients (20%) had advanced directives in place, whereas in 53 patients (21%) consultation with relatives or acquaintances was employed before further treatment decisions. Overall, TLD ultimately manifested in 104 patients (42%). TLD was reached within 6 h after admission in 52 patients (50%). Congruent with severity of injury and expected outcomes, TLDs were more likely in patients with signs of cerebral herniation and an ICH score > 3 (p < 0.001). Conclusions: The present study examines details associated with TLDs in patients with spontaneous ICH. These data provide insight into key decisional processes and reinforce the need for further structured investigations in an effort to help guide patients and their families.

Seizure outcome in temporal glioblastoma surgery: lobectomy as a supratotal resection regime outclasses conventional gross-total resection.

INTRODUCTION: The postoperative seizure freedom represents an important secondary outcome measure in glioblastoma surgery. Recently, supra-total glioblastoma resection in terms of anterior temporal lobectomy (ATL) has gained growing attention with regard to superior long-term disease control for temporal-located glioblastoma compared to conventional gross-total resections (GTR). However, the impact of ATL on seizure outcome in these patients is unknown. We therefore analyzed ATL and GTR as differing extents of resection in regard of postoperative seizure control in patients with temporal glioblastoma and preoperative symptomatic seizures. METHODS: Between 2012 and 2018, 33 patients with preoperative seizures underwent GTR or ATL for temporal glioblastoma at the authors' institution. Seizure outcome was assessed postoperatively and 6 months after tumor resection according to the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) classification and stratified into favorable (ILAE class 1) versus unfavorable (ILAE class 2-6). RESULTS: Overall, 23 out of 33 patients (70%) with preoperative seizures achieved favorable seizure outcome following resection of temporal located glioblastoma. For the ATL group, postoperative seizure freedom was present in 13 out of 13 patients (100%). In comparison, respective rates for the GTR group were 10 out of 20 patients (50%) (p = 0.002; OR 27; 95% CI 1.4-515.9). CONCLUSIONS: ATL in terms of a supra-total resection strategy was associated with superior favorable seizure outcome following temporal glioblastoma resection compared to GTR. Regarding above mentioned survival benefit following ATL compared to GTR, ATL as an aggressive supra-total resection regime might constitute the surgical modality of choice for temporal-located glioblastoma.

Red blood cell distribution width to platelet ratio substantiates preoperative survival prediction in patients with newly-diagnosed glioblastoma.

OBJECT: The conception of individual patient-adjusted treatment strategies is constantly emerging in the field of neuro-oncology. Systemic laboratory markers may allow insights into individual needs and estimated treatment benefit at an earliest possible stage. Therefore, the present study was aimed at analyzing the prognostic significance of preoperative routine laboratory values in patients with newly-diagnosed glioblastoma. METHODS: Between 2014 and 2019, 257 patients were surgically treated for newly-diagnosed glioblastoma at the Neuro-Oncology Center of the University Hospital Bonn. Preoperative routine laboratory values including red blood cell distribution width (RDW) and platelet count were reviewed. RDW to platelet count ratio (RPR) was calculated and correlated to overall survival (OS) rates. RESULTS: Median preoperative RPR was 0.053 (IQR 0.044-0.062). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve indicated an optimal cut-off value for RPR to be 0.05 (AUC 0.62; p = 0.002, 95% CI 0.544-0.685). 101 patients (39%) presented with a preoperative RPR < 0.05, whereas 156 patients (61%) had a RPR ≥ 0.05. Patients with preoperative RPR < 0.05 exhibited a median OS of 20 months (95% CI 17.9-22.1), which was significantly higher compared to a median OS of 13 months (95% CI 10.9-15.1) in patients with preoperative RPR ≥ 0.05 (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The present study suggests the RPR to constitute a novel prognostic inflammatory marker for glioblastoma patients in the course of preoperative routine laboratory examinations and might contribute to a personalized medicine approach.

Elevated body mass index facilitates early postoperative complications after surgery for intracranial meningioma.

Surgical resection represents the primary treatment option for patients suffering from intracranial meningioma. However, early postoperative complications significantly worsen initial favorable postoperative outcomes. Therefore, the ability to preoperatively assess potential risk factors for early postoperative unfavorable events is important to preselect critical patients who might require special attention during clinical management. In the current study, we therefore analyzed our institutional database in order to identify risk factors associated with early postoperative complications after initial meningioma resection. Between 2014 and 2017, 202 patients with intracranial supratentorial meningioma were surgically treated at the authors' institution. Early postoperative complications were defined as any postoperative event requiring further surgical measures within 30 days following initial meningioma resection. A multivariate analysis was performed to identify independent risk factors associated with postoperative complications after surgical meningioma therapy. Overall, 13 out of 202 meningioma patients developed early postoperative complications (6%). The multivariate analysis revealed obesity in terms of elevated body mass index (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2) (p = 0.03), the presence of atrial fibrillation (p = 0.001) as well as the preoperative Karnofsky Performance Status Scale < 70% (p = 0.004) as independent predictors for early postoperative complications in the course of supratentorial meningioma resection. Obesity is associated with a higher risk of postoperative unfavorable events that require further surgical treatment. Furthermore, the present study identifies several additional risk factors for the development of early postoperative complications after intracranial meningioma resection enabling to preoperatively select for high-risk patients that might require special attention in clinical and surgical management.

Newly diagnosed glioblastoma in geriatric (65 +) patients: impact of patients frailty, comorbidity burden and obesity on overall survival.

OBJECT: Increasing age is a known negative prognostic factor for glioblastoma. However, a multifactorial approach is necessary to achieve optimal neuro-oncological treatment. It remains unclear to what extent frailty, comorbidity burden, and obesity might exert influence on survival in geriatric glioblastoma patients. We have therefore reviewed our institutional database to assess the prognostic value of these factors in elderly glioblastoma patients. METHODS: Between 2012 and 2018, patients aged ≥ 65 years with newly diagnosed glioblastoma were included in this retrospective analysis. Patients frailty was analyzed using the modified frailty index (mFI), while patients comorbidity burden was assessed according to the Charlson comorbidity index (CCI). Body mass index (BMI) was used as categorized variable. RESULTS: A total of 110 geriatric patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma were identified. Geriatric patients categorized as least-frail achieved a median overall survival (mOS) of 17 months, whereas most frail patients achieved a mOS of 8 months (p = 0.003). Patients with a CCI > 2 had a lower mOS of 6 months compared to patients with a lower comorbidity burden (12 months; p = 0.03). Multivariate analysis identified "subtotal resection" (p = 0.02), "unmethylated MGMT promoter status" (p = 0.03), "BMI < 30" (p = 0.04), and "frail patient (mFI ≥ 0.27)" (p = 0.03) as significant and independent predictors of 1-year mortality in geriatric patients with surgical treatment of glioblastoma (Nagelkerke's R2 0.31). CONCLUSIONS: The present study concludes that both increased frailty and comorbidity burden are significantly associated with poor OS in geriatric patients with glioblastoma. Further, the present series suggests an obesity paradox in geriatric glioblastoma patients.

Safety metric profiling in surgery for temporal glioblastoma: lobectomy as a supra-total resection regime preserves perioperative standard quality rates.

INTRODUCTION: Supra-total resection in terms of anterior temporal lobectomy (ATL) has gained growing attention with regard to superior long-term disease control for temporal-located glioblastoma. However, aggressive onco-surgical approaches-geared beyond conventional gross total resections (GTR)-may be associated with peri- and postoperative unfavorable events which significantly worsen initial favorable postoperative outcome. In the current study we analyzed our institutional database with regard to patient safety indicators (PSIs), hospital-acquired conditions (HACs) and specific cranial surgery-related complications (CSC) as high standard quality metric profiles in patients that had undergone surgery for temporal glioblastoma. METHODS: Between 2012 and 2018, 61 patients with temporal glioblastoma underwent GTR or temporal lobectomy at the authors' institution. Both groups of differing resection modalities were analyzed with regard to the incidence of PSIs, HACs and CSCs. RESULTS: Overall, we found 6 PSI and 2 HAC events. Postoperative hemorrhage (3 out of 61 patients; 5%) and catheter-associated urinary tract infection (2 out 61 patients; 3%) were identified as the most frequent PSIs and HACs. PSIs were present in 1 out of 41 patients (5%) for the temporal GTR and 2 out of 20 patients for the lobectomy group (p = 1.0). Respective rates for PSIs were 5 of 41 (12%) and 1 of 20 (5%) (p = 0.7). Further, CSCs did not yield significant differences between these two resection modalities (p = 1.0). CONCLUSION: With regard to ATL and GTR as differing onco-surgical approaches these data suggest ATL in terms of an aggressive supra-total resection strategy to preserve perioperative standard safety metric profiles.

Surgery for temporal glioblastoma: lobectomy outranks oncosurgical-based gross-total resection.

OBJECTIVE: Supra-total glioblastoma resection has gained growing attention with regard to superior long-term disease control. However, aggressive onco-surgical approaches-geared beyond conventional gross total resections (GTR)-are limited by the impairment of adjacent eloquent areas at risk that may entail severe postoperative functional morbidity. Against this backdrop we analyzed our institutional database with regard to potential survival benefits of anterior temporal lobectomy as a paradigm for supra-total resection in patients with precisely temporal-located, non-eloquent glioblastoma. METHODS: Between 2012 and 2017, 38 patients with isolated temporal glioblastoma underwent GTR or temporal lobectomy at the authors' institution. Both groups of differing resection modalities were compared with regard to postoperative Karnofsky performance score (KPS), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). RESULTS: Patients with temporal lobectomy exhibited significantly superior median KPS at the 12 months follow-up compared to the GTR group (median KPS of 80 vs. 60, p = 0.04). Temporal lobectomy was associated with significantly prolonged PFS (p = 0.005) and OS (p = 0.002) coming up to 15 months (95% CI 9.7-22.1) and 23 months (95% CI 14.8-34.5) compared to 7 months (95% CI 3.3-8.3) and 11 months (95% CI 9.2-17.9) for the GTR group. Multivariate analysis revealed temporal lobectomy as the only predictor for both superior PFS (p = 0.037, OR 7.3, 95% CI 1.1-47.4) and OS (p = 0.04, OR 7.8, 95% CI 1.1-55.2). CONCLUSIONS: These results strongly suggest temporal lobectomy as an aggressive supra-total resection policy to constitute the surgical modality of choice for isolated temporal-located glioblastoma.