Age at symptom onset and long-term survival in patients with neurofibromatosis Type 2

2003 ◽  
Vol 99 (3) ◽  
pp. 480-483 ◽  
Author(s):  
Goro Otsuka ◽  
Kiyoshi Saito ◽  
Tetsuya Nagatani ◽  
Jun Yoshida

Object. Neurofibromatosis Type 2 (NF2) is an intractable disorder predisposing to multiple, recurrent tumors of the central nervous system (CNS). To clarify the survival rate and characteristics that predict poor survival, we retrospectively reviewed clinical data in cases of NF2. Methods. From among 283 patients with neurofibromatosis who had been registered in a nationwide study in Japan between 1986 and 1987, 74 patients with bilateral vestibular schwannomas were analyzed. The mean duration of follow up after diagnosis was 121 months (range 2–287 months). Results of a Kaplan—Meier product-limit analysis indicated that overall 5-, 10-, and 20-year patient survival rates following diagnosis of NF2 were 85, 67, and 38%, respectively. Early onset of the initial symptom significantly compromised survival; 5-, 10-, and 20-year survival rates in patients with symptom onset at an age younger than 25 years were 80, 60, and 28%, respectively, whereas in patients with symptom onset at an age of 25 years or older the rates were 100, 87, and 62%, respectively. Patients with small vestibular schwannomas at diagnosis (< 2 cm in diameter) had better rates of survival. Other variables such as sex, additional tumors in the CNS, or dermal abnormalities did not significantly affect survival. Conclusions. This first report of long-term follow-up results concerning the survival of patients with NF2 indicates an adverse effect of early symptom onset.

1998 ◽  
Vol 89 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matti Tapio Seppälä ◽  
Markku Alarik Sainio ◽  
Matti Jouko Johannes Haltia ◽  
Jaakko Jyri Kinnunen ◽  
Kirsi Hannele Setälä ◽  
...  

Object. The aim of this study was to clarify the clinical outcome of schwannomatosis, a rare condition characterized by multiple nonvestibular schwannomas in the absence of meningiomas, intraspinal ependymomas, and other clinical signs of neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2). Methods. Nine patients with schwannomatosis treated at one institution are presented and their clinical course during a median follow-up time of 9.9 years is discussed. The patients were typically middle-aged at the time of their first operation (median 43.5 years), none had a positive family history of schwannomatosis or NF2, and none showed cutaneous or ocular signs of NF2. On histopathological examination the tumors from the patients with schwannomatosis showed a lobular appearance and frequent Verocay bodies, signs indicating NF2, more often than 20 sporadic schwannomas that were investigated as controls. Two patients died of unrelated causes at 3.2 and 9.9 years, respectively, of follow up. Magnetic resonance images of the head and spine were obtained in seven patients at the end of the follow-up period. New spinal schwannomas were detected in one patient and a residual schwannoma in three. No germline mutations of the NF2 gene were found in these seven patients. Two additional patients originally included in the schwannomatosis group who were 8.6 and 11.7 years old at initial surgery had NF2. One was diagnosed at follow-up review and the other developed a fulminant disease that led to death in 4 years. Conclusions. The clinical course, long-term outcome, and genetic mechanism of schwannomatosis differ from that of NF2.


2005 ◽  
Vol 2 (5) ◽  
pp. 574-579 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graham Dow ◽  
Nigel Biggs ◽  
Gareth Evans ◽  
Jimmie Gillespie ◽  
Richard Ramsden ◽  
...  

Object. The authors conducted a study to examine the incidence, classification, and progression of spinal tumors in patients with neurofibromatosis Type 2 (NF2) treated at a single center, and to examine relationships with the known mutational subtypes of NF2. Methods. They performed a retrospective review of clinical records, neuroimaging studies, and genetic data obtained in 61 patients with NF2. Forty-one (67%) of 61 patients harbored one or more spinal tumors. Thirty-four patients had undergone serial spinal magnetic resonance imaging during a mean follow-up period of 52 months (range 10–103 months; median 53 months). In 16 patients there were multiple extramedullary tumors smaller than 5 mm, which did not progress. Fourteen patients harbored at least one extramedullary tumor that was greater than 5 mm; of these, radiological progression was demonstrated or spinal tumor excision was performed during the follow-up period in eight cases (57%). Eleven patients harbored intramedullary cord tumors in addition to small and large extramedullary tumors, three (27%) of which exhibited radiological progression. In cases in which genotypes were known, protein-truncating mutations were significantly more likely to be associated with the presence of spinal tumors than in other types (p = 0.03, Fisher exact test). No associations between clinical behavior of spinal tumors and genotype, however, could be demonstrated. Conclusions. Spinal tumors in cases involving NF2 are heterogeneous in type, distribution, and behavior but larger-size tumors are more likely to progress significantly. Intramedullary tumors usually accompany multiple extramedullary tumors. In the authors' experience subtyping of the NF2 mutation has not yet influenced management. Protein-truncating mutations are associated with an increased prevalence of spinal tumors.


2010 ◽  
Vol 112 (1) ◽  
pp. 158-162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kajetan L. von Eckardstein ◽  
Charles W. Beatty ◽  
Colin L. W. Driscoll ◽  
Michael J. Link

The authors report on 2 patients with bilateral vestibular schwannomas (VSs) who underwent unilateral surgical tumor removal. One patient was followed up for 4 years, the other for 9; in both cases, the contralateral VS regressed markedly without any additional treatment during the follow-up period. Serial MR imaging was performed to monitor the untreated tumor, which in both cases involved the only hearing ear. The tumors were assessed volumetrically. The contralateral tumors appeared to enlarge mildly at initial follow-up and then, with no treatment, regressed (to 23% of the original maximum volume in Case 1 and to 15% of the original maximum in Case 2). The largest posterior fossa diameter decreased from 30.1 mm to 18.6 mm in Case 1 over 4 years and from 27 mm to 16 mm over 8 years in Case 2. Hearing declined only mildly during follow-up in both patients. These cases demonstrate the first well-documented, long-term, spontaneous VS regressions in patients with neurofibromatosis Type 2. They underline the importance of careful observation of VS involving the only hearing ear in the management of bilateral VS to determine the natural growth pattern of the tumors. The mechanism of the dramatic spontaneous tumor regression is uncertain.


2005 ◽  
Vol 102 (Special_Supplement) ◽  
pp. 1-3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amr El Shehaby ◽  
Jeremy C. Ganz ◽  
Wael A. Reda ◽  
Ayman Hafez

✓ The authors describe two patients in whom tumor swelling and brain swelling (and possible tumor swelling), respectively, developed after undergoing gamma knife surgery. One had a skull defect with a palpable parasagittal tumor. One had neurofibromatosis Type 2 with multiple tumors, one of which was parasagittal.


1991 ◽  
Vol 75 (4) ◽  
pp. 575-582 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark G. Belza ◽  
Sarah S. Donaldson ◽  
Gary K. Steinberg ◽  
Richard S. Cox ◽  
Philip H. Cogen

✓ Seventy-seven patients presenting with medulloblastoma between 1958 and 1986 were treated at Stanford University Medical Center and studied retrospectively. Multimodality therapy utilized surgical extirpation followed by megavoltage irradiation. In 15 cases chemotherapy was used as adjunctive treatment. The 10- and 15-year actuarial survival rates were both 41% with an 18-year maximum follow-up period (median 4.75 years). There were no treatment failures after 8 years of tumor-free survival. Gross total removal of tumor was achieved in 22 patients (32%); the surgical mortality rate was 3.9%. No significant difference was noted in the incidence of metastatic disease between shunted and nonshunted patients. The classical form of medulloblastoma was present in 67% of cases while the desmoplastic subtype was found in 16%. Survival rates were best for patients presenting after 1970, for those with desmoplastic tumors, and for patients receiving high-dose irradiation (≥ 5000 cGy) to the posterior fossa. Although early data on freedom from relapse suggested a possible beneficial effect from chemotherapy, long-term follow-up results showed no advantage from this modality of treatment. The patterns of relapse and survival were examined; 64% of relapses occurred within the central nervous system, and Collins' rule was applicable in 83% of cases beyond the period of risk. Although patients treated for recurrent disease could be palliated, none were long-term survivors. The study data indicate that freedom from relapse beyond 8 years from diagnosis can be considered as a cure in this disease. Long-term follow-up monitoring is essential to determine efficacy of treatment and to assess survival patterns accurately.


2001 ◽  
Vol 94 (1) ◽  
pp. 111-117 ◽  
Author(s):  
James J. Evans ◽  
Sin-Soo Jeun ◽  
Joung H. Lee ◽  
Jyoti A. Harwalkar ◽  
Yigal Shoshan ◽  
...  

Object. The neurofibromatosis Type 2 (NF2) gene is the only tumor suppressor gene that has been clearly implicated in the development of benign meningiomas. Interestingly, previous data obtained by the authors indicate that reduced NF2 protein expression seldom occurs in meningothelial meningiomas, the most common histological type of meningioma. The goal of the current study was to explore further the hypothesis of NF2 gene-independent tumorigenesis of meningothelial meningiomas. Methods. The authors performed a mutational analysis of all 17 exons of the NF2 gene by using single-stranded conformational polymorphism (SSCP). In addition, expression levels of the NF2 protein and (µ-calpain, a protease suggested to inactivate the NF2 protein, were determined by immunoblotting analysis of 27 meningiomas (20 meningothelial and seven nonmeningothelial). Mutations of the NF2 gene were found in only one (5%) of 20 meningothelial meningiomas and three (43%) of seven nonmeningothelial tumors (Fisher's exact test, p = 0.042). The levels of NF2 protein were severely reduced in six (28.5%) of 21 meningothelial meningiomas, in contrast to six (86%) of seven nonmeningothelial meningiomas (Fisher's exact test, p = 0.023). Activation of (µ-calpain did not correlate with the status of NF2 protein expression in the meningiomas analyzed, demonstrating that (µ-calpain activation does not account for the loss of NF2 protein in meningiomas with apparently normal NF2 genes. Conclusions. These results clearly demonstrate that NF2 gene mutations and decreased NF2 protein expression rarely occur in meningothelial meningiomas compared with other histological types of meningiomas. The clinical behavior of meningothelial meningiomas, however, is similar to that of other benign meningiomas. It is likely, therefore, that the tumorigenesis of meningothelial meningiomas is the result of deleterious alterations of genes that have final phenotypical effects similar to inactivation of the NF2 gene.


2007 ◽  
Vol 117 (6) ◽  
pp. 1069-1072 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian A. Neff ◽  
R Mark Wiet ◽  
John M. Lasak ◽  
Noel L. Cohen ◽  
Harold C. Pillsbury ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Tim Godel ◽  
Philipp Bäumer ◽  
Said Farschtschi ◽  
Klaus Püschel ◽  
Barbara Hofstadler ◽  
...  

Abstract Purpose To examine long-term alterations of the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) and the peripheral nerve in patients with neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) by in vivo high-resolution magnetic resonance neurography (MRN) and their correlation to histology. Methods In this prospective study the lumbosacral DRG, the right sciatic, tibial, and peroneal nerves were examined in 6 patients diagnosed with NF2 and associated polyneuropathy (PNP) by a standardized MRN protocol at 3 T. Volumes of DRG L3–S2 as well as peripheral nerve lesions were assessed and compared to follow-up examinations after 14–100 months. In one patient, imaging findings were further correlated to histology. Results Follow-up MRN examination showed a non-significant increase of volume for the DRG L3: +0.41% (p = 0.10), L4: +22.41% (p = 0.23), L5: +3.38% (p = 0.09), S1: +10.63% (p = 0.05) and S2: +1.17% (p = 0.57). Likewise, peripheral nerve lesions were not significantly increased regarding size (2.18 mm2 vs. 2.15 mm2, p = 0.89) and number (9.00 vs. 9.33, p = 0.36). Histological analyses identified schwannomas as the major correlate of both DRG hyperplasia and peripheral nerve lesions. For peripheral nerve microlesions additionally clusters of onion-bulb formations were identified. Conclusion Peripheral nervous system alterations seem to be constant or show only a minor increase in adult NF2. Thus, symptoms of PNP may not primarily attributed to the initial schwannoma growth but to secondary long-term processes, with symptoms only occurring if a certain threshold is exceeded. Histology identified grouped areas of Schwann cell proliferations as the correlate of DRG hyperplasia, while for peripheral nerve lesions different patterns could be found.


Neurosurgery ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 60 (3) ◽  
pp. 460-470 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Mathieu ◽  
Douglas Kondziolka ◽  
John C. Flickinger ◽  
Ajay Niranjan ◽  
Richard Williamson ◽  
...  

Abstract OBJECTIVE Vestibular schwannomas present significant management challenges in patients with neurofibromatosis Type 2 (NF2). We evaluated the results of gamma knife radiosurgery for the management of these tumors, focusing on tumor response, hearing preservation, and other factors affecting outcomes. METHODS Stereotactic radiosurgery was performed to manage 74 schwannomas in 62 patients. Ipsilateral serviceable hearing was present in 35% of tumors before the procedure. The mean tumor volume was 5.7 cm3. The mean margin and maximum dose used were 14 and 27.5 Gy, respectively. Cox regression analyses were performed to identify factors affecting outcomes. RESULTS The median follow-up period was 53 months, and two patients were lost to follow-up. Actuarial local control rates at were 85, 81, and 81% at 5, 10, and 15 years, respectively. Tumor volume was significant as a predictor of local control. Since 1992, using current radiosurgery techniques (magnetic resonance imaging scan targeting and reduced margin dose to 14 Gy or less), the actuarial serviceable hearing preservation rate is 73% at 1 year, 59% at 2 years, and 48% at 5 years after radiosurgery. Facial neuropathy occurred in 8% of tumors, trigeminal neuropathy occurred in 4%, and vestibular dysfunction occurred in 4%. Radiation dose and tumor volume were predictive of development of new deficits. No radiosurgery-associated secondary tumors or atypical or malignant changes were noted. CONCLUSION Stereotactic radiosurgery is a safe and effective management modality for neurofibromatosis Type 2 vestibular schwannomas. Although results do not seem to be as good as for patients with sporadic unilateral tumors, gamma knife radiosurgery results seem favorable and indicate that radiosurgery should be strongly considered for primary tumor management in selected patients.


2005 ◽  
Vol 102 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toshinori Hasegawa ◽  
Yoshihisa Kida ◽  
Tatsuya Kobayashi ◽  
Masayuki Yoshimoto ◽  
Yoshimasa Mori ◽  
...  

Object. Gamma knife surgery (GKS) has been a safe and effective treatment for vestibular schwannomas in both the short and long term, although less is known about long-term outcomes in the past 10 years. The aim of this study was to clarify long-term outcomes in patients with vestibular schwannomas treated using GKS based on techniques in place in the early 1990s. Methods. Eighty patients harboring a vestibular schwannoma (excluding neurofibromatosis Type 2) were treated using GKS between May 1991 and December 1993. Among these, 73 patients were assessed; seven were lost to follow up. The median duration of follow up was 135 months. The mean patient age at the time of GKS was 56 years old. The mean tumor volume was 6.3 cm3, and the mean maximal and marginal radiation doses applied to the tumor were 28.4 and 14.6 Gy, respectively. Follow-up magnetic resonance images were obtained in 71 patients. Forty-eight patients demonstrated partial tumor remission, 14 had tumors that remained stable, and nine demonstrated tumor enlargement or radiation-induced edema requiring resection. Patients with larger tumors did not fare as well as those with smaller lesions. The actuarial 10-year progression-free survival rate was 87% overall, and 93% in patients with tumor volumes less than 10 cm3. No patient experienced malignant transformation. Conclusions. Gamma knife surgery remained an effective treatment for vestibular schwannomas for longer than 10 years. Although treatment failures usually occurred within 3 years after GKS, it is necessary to continue follow up in patients to reveal delayed tumor recurrence.


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