Peripheral Inflammatory Blood Markers in Diagnosis of Glioma and IDH Status.

Objective Gliomas are the most common intracranial tumors. Histopathology and neuroimaging are the main modalities used for diagnosis and treatment response monitoring. However, both are expensive and insensitive methods and can cause neurological deterioration. This study aimed to develop a minimally invasive peripheral inflammatory biomarker for diagnosis of glioma, its grade, and isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) status. Materials and Methods Patients undergoing surgery for glioma, acoustic neuroma, and meningioma between January 2019 and December 2019 were included. Preoperative neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), derived NLR (dNLR), platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR), lymphocyte/monocyte ratio (LMR), eosinophil/lymphocyte ratio (ELR), and prognostic nutritional index (PNI) were calculated. Histopathology and immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining were done postoperatively. Results A total of 154 patients of glioma, 36 patients of acoustic neuroma, 58 patients of meningioma, and 107 healthy controls were included. dNLR showed the maximum area under the curve (AUC) (0.656639) for diagnosis of glioma from other tumors and among combinations. dNLR +NLR showed the maximum AUC (0.647865). Maximum AUC for glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) versus other grades and among combinations was shown by NLR (0.83926). NLR + dNLR had the maximum AUC (0.764794). NLR showed significant p value in differentiating IDH wild from IDH mutant GBM. Conclusion dNLR has the maximum diagnostic value in diagnosing glioma from other tumors. NLR (AUC = 0.83926) showed the highest accuracy for GBM diagnosis and may be a parameter in predicting the grade of glioma; also, it has maximum diagnostic value in differentiating IDH wild GBM from IDH mutant GBM. These peripheral inflammatory parameters may prove to be sensitive and cost-effective markers for glioma diagnosis, predicting grade of glioma, monitoring of treatment response, and in predicting recurrence.

Preoperative Diffusion Tensor Imaging: A Landmark Modality for Predicting the Outcome and Characterization of Supratentorial Intra-Axial Brain Tumors.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: In view of the few large prospective studies available on the role of preoperative diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and the potential of DTI in showing the relationship between tumor and white matter tracts, we studied the role of preoperative DTI in planning a safe surgical corridor, predicting the neurologic and surgical outcome and tumor characterization in supratentorial intra-axial brain tumors. METHODS: We included 128 cases. Preoperative neurologic status and tumor volume were assessed. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based surgical plan was decided and reviewed for changes after DTI (site of corticotomy or limit of resection) by senior faculty of neurosurgery and neuroradiologist. Tracts were classified as displaced, infiltrated, or disrupted. Postoperative neurologic and surgical outcome was assessed along with evaluation of association of DTI with tumor type. RESULTS: DTI-based change in surgical corridor was seen in 60 patients (47%). Sixty-six patients harbored low-grade gliomas, 48 had high-grade gliomas, and 14 had metastastic lesions. Resectability (maximum safe resection) was higher in patients with displaced fibers and lower in those with disrupted/infiltrated fibers, which was statistically significant. Fewer patients had neurologic deterioration in the displaced category (7.1%) compared with the disrupted/infiltrated category (13.9%). Although no significant association could be established between neurologic outcome and fiber type, displaced fibers were associated mainly with low-grade glioma (71%), whereas disrupted/infiltrated fibers were associated mainly with high-grade glioma (66%); this correlation was significant. CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative DTI is a landmark tool for planning a safe surgical corridor and predicting the tumor type along with neurologic and surgical outcome of patients.

Endoscopic versus Microscopic Pituitary Adenoma Surgery: An Institutional Experience.

AIM: The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of endoscopic versus microscopic excision of pituitary adenoma, and to evaluate the merits and demerits of each approach. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Prospective data were collected and patients were surgically treated for pituitary adenoma at SMS Hospital, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India. Patients consent was obtained. Age, sex, presenting symptoms, length of hospital stay, pre- and post-operative hormone status, extent of resections of tumors, and intra- and post-operative complication were noted. RESULTS: A total of thirty patients with pituitary adenoma were operated transsphenoidally. Seventeen patients were operated by endonasal endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery and 13 patients were operated by microscopic transsphenoidal surgery. In an endoscopic group, complete tumor excision was achieved in 11 (64.71%) patients, and in microscopic group, it was achieved in 6 (46.15%) patients. In endoscopic group, mean operative time was 111.29 ± 21.95 min (ranged 80-135 min), and in microscopic group, it was 134.38 ± 8.33 min (ranged 120-145 min). In endoscopic group, mean blood loss was 124.41 ± 39.64 ml (60-190 ml), and in microscopic group, it was 174.62 ± 37.99 (100-220 ml). Postoperative sinusitis was present in 1 (5.88%) patient in endoscopic group and in 2 (15.38%) patients in microscopic group. CONCLUSION: Endoscopic approach provides a wide surgical field and broad lateral vision making easier distinction of tumor tissues. Thus, there is less blood loss, greater extent of tumor removal and it had less operative time, less postoperative complication, and early discharge from the hospital.

Use of Preoperative Ependymal Enhancement on Magnetic Resonance Imaging Brain as a Marker of Grade of Glioma.

OBJECTIVES: Neural stem cells within the subventricular zone (SVZ) are thought to be responsible for the origin and the heterogeneous nature of the gliomas. The relationship of the gliomas to the SVZ can be appreciated as ependymal enhancement on contrast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This study evaluates the rate of ependymal enhancement and its association with the histopathological grade of gliomas. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Seventy-five patients with radiological features of glioma were recruited. Preoperative MRI was evaluated for the presence of ependymal enhancement and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) signal proximity of tumor to ependyma, and the association to grade was investigated. RESULTS: Seventy-five patients studied showed a male predominance (62.66%) with a mean age of 44.91 ± 13.64 years. Evidence of ependymal enhancement was positive in 24% (n = 18), 46.67% (n = 35) showed no evidence, and in 29.33% (n = 22), assessment was inconclusive. According to WHO grading, 76% (n = 57) were high-grade gliomas (HGGs) including Grade III (n = 17) and Grade IV (n = 40) and 24% (n = 18) were low-grade gliomas (LGGs) Grade II. HGGs were significantly associated with ependymal enhancement (P < 0.01) and FLAIR signal proximity to the ependyma (P < 0.001). Among HGGs, rate of ependymal enhancement and FLAIR signal proximity was more in Grade IV than Grade III but was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: SVZ is associated with HGGs. These MRI features can be helpful in predicting the tumor grade preoperatively and by including LGGs, the role of SVZ in the heterogeneous disease process of glioma can be studied as a whole, not only in the glioblastoma (GBM).

Gliosarcoma: A rare variant of glioblastoma multiforme in paediatric patient: Case report and review of literature.

Gliosarcoma is rare central nervous system tumour and a variant of glioblastoma multiforme with bimorphic histological pattern of glial and sarcomatous differentiation. It occurs in elderly between 5(th) and 6(th) decades of life and extremely rare in children. It is highly aggressive tumour and managed like glioblastoma multiforme. A 12-year-old female child presented with complaints of headache and vomiting from 15 d and blurring of vision from 3 d. Magnetic resonance imaging of brain shows heterogeneous mass in right parieto-occipital cortex. A right parieto-occipito-temporal craniotomy with complete excision of mass revealed a primary glioblastoma on histopathological investigation. Treatment consists of maximum surgical excision followed by adjuvant radiotherapy. The etiopathogenesis, treatment modalities and prognosis is discussed. The available literature is also reviewed.