Surgical management of spinal metastases: analysis of prognostic factors during a 10-year experience

2005 ◽  
Vol 2 (5) ◽  
pp. 564-573 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard B. North ◽  
Vito R. LaRocca ◽  
Jacob Schwartz ◽  
Catherine A. North ◽  
Marianna Zahurak ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Prognostic Factors ◽  
Surgical Treatment ◽  
Spinal Metastases ◽  
Tumor Type ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Persistent Disease ◽  
Operative Site ◽  
Primary Radiotherapy ◽  
Fine Print

Object. Refinement of surgical techniques, especially anterior approaches, for the management of spinal metastases has improved patient outcomes, despite the fact that a complete analysis of the prognostic factors that would inform patient selection has not been undertaken. The authors sought to identify such prognostic factors for neurological outcome and life expectancy in patients with spinal metastases. Methods. The authors used Kaplan—Meier techniques, log-rank comparisons, and a multivariate model stratified by tumor type to identify prognostic factors for duration of ability to walk and survival in patients who underwent surgical treatment for spinal metastases during a decade when all current treatment options were available. Preoperatively, 53 (87%) of the 61 patients in the study population suffered neurological symptoms (for example, weakness) and 52 (85%) were ambulatory. Postoperatively, 59 (97%) were ambulatory. Most patients who survived 6 months (81%) remained ambulatory, as did 66% of those alive at 1.6 years. The median postoperative survival was 10 months. The risk factors for loss of ambulation were preoperative loss of ambulatory ability, recurrent or persistent disease after primary radiotherapy of the operative site, a procedure other than corpectomy, and tumor type other than breast cancer. Prognostic factors for reduced survival were surgical intervention extending over two or more spinal segments, recurrent or persistent disease after primary radiotherapy involving the operative site, diagnosis other than breast cancer, and a cervical spinal procedure. Conclusions. The results of this analysis allowed the authors to create a simple prognostic factor scoring system that can be applied to individual patients. The positive experience derived from this study supports an expanded role for the surgical treatment of metastatic spinal disease.

Improved survival in cases of intracranial ependymoma after radiation therapy

1983 ◽  
Vol 59 (4) ◽  
pp. 652-659 ◽  
Author(s):  
Omar M. Salazar ◽  
Hernan Castro-Vita ◽  
Paul VanHoutte ◽  
Philip Rubin ◽  
Cengiz Aygun
Keyword(s):  
Radiation Therapy ◽  
Prognostic Factors ◽  
Survival Time ◽  
Spinal Metastases ◽  
Low Grade ◽  
High Grade ◽  
Whole Brain ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Infratentorial Tumors ◽  
Fine Print

✓ A publication from the University of Rochester Cancer Center in 1975 suggested an improvement in the survival time of patients with intracranial ependymomas in whom an aggressive postoperative radiation therapy approach had been adopted. The regimen was tailored to the aggressiveness and spread patterns of these tumors and therefore considered the patient's age, tumor histopathology and location, and status of the subarachnoid space and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). The authors proposed using whole brain (WB) fields for all patients with low-grade supratentorial tumors, and WB with cervical cord field extensions for low-grade infratentorial tumors if either group had no CSF or subarachnoid evidence of spinal metastases. They also proposed using craniospinal irradiation for all patients with high-grade ependymomas (regardless of location) or with low-grade infratentorial tumors with positive CSF or subarachnoid findings of spinal metastases. Recommended doses were as follows: 4500 rads to the whole brain, 5500 rads to the primary tumor volume, and 3000 to 4000 rads to the spine, depending on its subarachnoid status. Children aged 3 years or under were to receive 80% of these doses and more protracted daily treatments. Analysis of the updated experience indicates that in 51 patients treated with this approach these criteria have yielded a beneficial and consistent increase in the survival time. A 69% 10-year survival rate has been observed (75% for low-grade and 67% for high-grade ependymomas). A multifactorial analysis of survival by prognostic factors and by grouping of prognostic factors, analysis of failures, autopsy findings, and quality of survival is presented and discussed.

Surgery for intracranial meningiomas in the elderly: a clinical—radiological grading system as a predictor of outcome

2005 ◽  
Vol 102 (2) ◽  
pp. 290-294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuela Caroli ◽  
Marco Locatelli ◽  
Francesco Prada ◽  
Federica Beretta ◽  
Filippo Martinelli-Boneschi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prognostic Factors ◽  
Surgical Treatment ◽  
Mortality Rate ◽  
Elderly Patients ◽  
Grading System ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Female Sex ◽  
Intracranial Meningiomas ◽  
Radiological Grading ◽  
Fine Print

Object. A grading system, called the Clinical—Radiological Grading System (CRGS), has been developed to standardize surgical indications in elderly patients harboring intracranial meningiomas. Patients with a score lower than 10 had a bad prognosis regardless of surgical treatment, those with a score between 10 and 12 had a prognosis positively influenced by surgery, and those with a score higher than 12 had a good prognosis regardless of surgical treatment. The authors performed a prospective cross-sectional study to validate further the use of the CRGS as a clinical tool to orientate surgical decision making in elderly patients and to explore prognostic factors of survival. Methods. From 1990 to 2000 the authors consecutively recruited and surgically treated 90 patients 70 years of age or older with neuroimaging findings of intracranial meningiomas and a preoperative evaluation based on the CRGS. The surgical mortality rate, which covers deaths within 3 months after surgical intervention, was 7.8%, and the 1-year mortality rate was 15.6%. Female sex and a higher CRGS score were associated with a higher probability of survival. Among the different subset items of the CRGS score, no peritumoral edema for surgical survival and no concomitant diseases for 1-year survival provide the strongest predictive contribution, even if not at a statistically significant level. Conclusions. The CRGS score is a useful and practical tool for the selection of elderly patients affected by intracranial meningiomas as surgical candidates. A CRGS score higher than 10 and female sex are good prognostic factors of survival, whereas age is not a contraindication to surgery.

Gamma knife radiosurgery in patients with advanced breast cancer undergoing bone marrow transplant

2002 ◽  
Vol 97 ◽  
pp. 663-665 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth J. Levin ◽  
Emad F. Youssef ◽  
Andrew E. Sloan ◽  
Rajiv Patel ◽  
Rana K. Zabad ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Advanced Breast Cancer ◽  
Gamma Knife ◽  
Gamma Knife Radiosurgery ◽  
High Dose Chemotherapy ◽  
Advanced Breast ◽  
High Dose ◽  
Initial Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Fine Print

Object. Recent studies have suggested a high incidence of cognitive deficits in patients undergoing high-dose chemotherapy, which appears to be dose related. Whole-brain radiotherapy (WBRT) has previously been associated with cognitive impairment. The authors attempted to use gamma knife radiosurgery (GKS) to delay or avoid WBRT in patients with advanced breast cancer treated with high-dose chemotherapy and autologous bone marrow transplantation (HDC/ABMT) in whom brain metastases were diagnosed. Methods. A retrospective review of our experience from 1996 to 2001 was performed to identify patients who underwent HDC/ABMT for advanced breast cancer and brain metastasis. They were able to conduct GKS as initial management to avoid or delay WBRT in 12 patients following HDC/ABMT. All patients were women. The median age was 48 years (range 30–58 years). The Karnofsky Performance Scale score was 70 (range 60–90). All lesions were treated with a median prescription dose of 17 Gy (range 15–18 Gy) prescribed to the 50% isodose. Median survival was 11.5 months. Five patients (42%) had no evidence of central nervous system disease progression and no further treatment was given. Four patients were retreated with GKS and three of them eventually received WBRT as well. Two patients were treated with WBRT as the primary salvage therapy. The median time to retreatment with WBRT was 8 months after the initial GKS. Conclusions. Gamma knife radiosurgery can be effectively used for the initial management of brain metastases to avoid or delay WBRT in patients treated previously with HDC, with acceptable survival and preserved cognitive function.

Gamma knife radiosurgery for intracranial metastatic melanoma: a 6-year experience

2002 ◽  
Vol 97 ◽  
pp. 494-498 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jorge Gonzalez-martinez ◽  
Laura Hernandez ◽  
Lucia Zamorano ◽  
Andrew Sloan ◽  
Kenneth Levin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prognostic Factors ◽  
Brain Metastases ◽  
Metastatic Melanoma ◽  
Gamma Knife Radiosurgery ◽  
Tumor Control ◽  
Karnofsky Performance Scale ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Fine Print

Object. The purpose of this study was to evaluate retrospectively the effectiveness of stereotactic radiosurgery for intracranial metastatic melanoma and to identify prognostic factors related to tumor control and survival that might be helpful in determining appropriate therapy. Methods. Twenty-four patients with intracranial metastases (115 lesions) metastatic from melanoma underwent radiosurgery. In 14 patients (58.3%) whole-brain radiotherapy (WBRT) was performed, and in 12 (50%) chemotherapy was conducted before radiosurgery. The median tumor volume was 4 cm3 (range 1–15 cm3). The mean dose was 16.4 Gy (range 13–20 Gy) prescribed to the 50% isodose at the tumor margin. All cases were categorized according to the Recursive Partitioning Analysis classification for brain metastases. Univariate and multivariate analyses of survival were performed to determine significant prognostic factors affecting survival. The mean survival was 5.5 months after radiosurgery. The analyses revealed no difference in terms of survival between patients who underwent WBRT or chemotherapy and those who did not. A significant difference (p < 0.05) in mean survival was observed between patients receiving immunotherapy or those with a Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS) score of greater than 90. Conclusions. The treatment with systemic immunotherapy and a KPS score greater than 90 were factors associated with a better prognosis. Radiosurgery for melanoma-related brain metastases appears to be an effective treatment associated with few complications.

Surgical treatment of cerebral metastases from lung cancer

1971 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 416-420 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edwin E. MacGee
Keyword(s):  
Lung Cancer ◽  
Surgical Treatment ◽  
Operative Mortality ◽  
Cerebral Metastases ◽  
Cerebral Metastasis ◽  
Metastatic Lung Cancer ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Intracranial Surgery ◽  
Metastatic Lung ◽  
Fine Print

✓ Results in 27 cases of intracranial surgery for metastatic lung cancer are evaluated with regard to both the quality and duration of survival; 56% of the patients lived more than 1 year, with the longest survivor still living 32 months after operation. The operative mortality was 26%. These data suggest that intracranial surgery is worthwhile in patients with lung cancer when the cerebral metastasis is either solitary or single.

Crouzon's disease (craniofacial dysostosis)

1972 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 434-441 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jack Kushner ◽  
Eben Alexander ◽  
Courtland H. Davis ◽  
David L. Kelly ◽  
Annetta Horwitz Kushner
Keyword(s):  
Surgical Treatment ◽  
Original Description ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Craniofacial Dysostosis ◽  
Fine Print

✓ This article discusses the nature and treatment of Crouzon's disease and reproduces a translation of part of Crouzon's original description. Six typical patients with this disease are presented, and the reasons for surgical treatment emphasized.

Surgery for Parkinson disease in the United States, 1996 to 2000: practice patterns, short-term outcomes, and hospital charges in a nationwide sample

2003 ◽  
Vol 99 (5) ◽  
pp. 863-871 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emad N. Eskandar ◽  
Alice Flaherty ◽  
G. Rees Cosgrove ◽  
Leslie A. Shinobu ◽  
Fred G. Barker
Keyword(s):  
Surgical Treatment ◽  
Parkinson Disease ◽  
Practice Patterns ◽  
The United States ◽  
Hospital Charges ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Us ◽  
Fine Print ◽  
Deep Brain

Object. The surgical treatment of Parkinson disease (PD) has undergone a dramatic shift, from stereotactic ablative procedures toward deep brain stimulaion (DBS). The authors studied this process by investigating practice patterns, mortality and morbidity rates, and hospital charges as reflected in the records of a representative sample of US hospitals between 1996 and 2000. Methods. The authors conducted a retrospective cohort study by using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample database; 1761 operations at 71 hospitals were studied. Projected to the US population, there were 1650 inpatient procedures performed for PD per year (pallidotomies, thalamotomies, and DBS), with no significant change in the annual number of procedures during the study period. The in-hospital mortality rate was 0.2%, discharge other than to home was 8.1%, and the rate of neurological complications was 1.8%, with no significant differences between procedures. In multivariate analyses, hospitals with larger annual caseloads had lower mortality rates (p = 0.002) and better outcomes at hospital discharge (p = 0.007). Placement of deep brain stimulators comprised 0% of operations in 1996 and 88% in 2000. Factors predicting placement of these devices in analyses adjusted for year of surgery included younger age, Caucasian race, private insurance, residence in higher-income areas, hospital teaching status, and smaller annual hospital caseload. In multivariate analysis, total hospital charges were 2.2 times higher for DBS (median $36,000 compared with $12,000, p < 0.001), whereas charges were lower at higher-volume hospitals (p < 0.001). Conclusions. Surgical treatment of PD in the US changed significantly between 1996 and 2000. Larger-volume hospitals had superior short-term outcomes and lower charges. Future studies should address long-term functional end points, cost/benefit comparisons, and inequities in access to care.

Radiation necrosis or glioma recurrence: is computer-assisted stereotactic biopsy useful?

1995 ◽  
Vol 82 (3) ◽  
pp. 436-444 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter A. Forsyth ◽  
Patrick J. Kelly ◽  
Terrence L. Cascino ◽  
Bernd W. Scheithauer ◽  
Edward G. Shaw ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Disease Progression ◽  
Tumor Recurrence ◽  
Stereotactic Biopsy ◽  
Radiation Necrosis ◽  
Low Grade ◽  
Tumor Type ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Radiation Induced ◽  
Chondroblastic Osteosarcoma ◽  
Fine Print

✓ Fifty-one patients with supratentorial glioma treated with external beam radiotherapy (median dose 59.5 Gy) who then demonstrated clinical or radiographic evidence of disease progression underwent stereotactic biopsy to differentiate tumor recurrence from radiation necrosis. The original tumor histological type was diffuse or fibrillary astrocytoma in 21 patients (41%), oligodendroglioma in 13 (26%), and oligoastrocytoma in 17 (33%); 40 tumors (78%) were low-grade (Kernohan Grade 1 or 2). The median time to suspected disease progression was 28 months. Stereotactic biopsy showed tumor recurrence in 30 patients (59%), radiation necrosis in three (6%), and a mixture of both in 17 (33%); one patient (2%) had a parenchymal radiation-induced chondroblastic osteosarcoma. The tumor type at stereotactic biopsy was similar to the original tumor type and was astrocytoma in 24 patients (47%), oligodendroglioma in eight (16%), oligoastrocytoma in 16 (31%), unclassifiable in two (4%), and chondroblastic osteosarcoma in one patient (2%). At biopsy, however, only 19 tumors (37%) were low grade (Kernohan Grade 1 or 2). Subsequent surgery confirmed the stereotactic biopsy histological findings in eight patients. Follow-up examination showed 14 patients alive with a median survival of 1 year for the entire group. Median survival times after biopsy were 0.83 year for patients with tumor recurrence and 1.86 years for patients with both tumor recurrence and radionecrosis; these findings were significantly different (p = 0.008, log-rank test). No patient with radiation necrosis alone died. Other factors associated with reduced survival were a high proportion of residual tumor (p = 0.024), a low proportion of radionecrosis (p < 0.001), and a Kernohan Grade of × or 4 (p = 0.005). In conclusion, in patients with previously irradiated supratentorial gliomas in whom radionecrosis or tumor recurrence was clinically or radiographically suspected, results of stereotactic biopsy could be used to differentiate tumor recurrence, radiation necrosis, a mixture of both lesions, or radiation-induced neoplasm. In addition, biopsy results could predict survival rates.

Age and outcome after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage: why do older patients fare worse?

1996 ◽  
Vol 85 (3) ◽  
pp. 410-418 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Lanzino ◽  
Neal F. Kassell ◽  
Teresa P. Germanson ◽  
Gail L. Kongable ◽  
Laura L. Truskowski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prognostic Factors ◽  
Subarachnoid Hemorrhage ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Poor Outcome ◽  
Symptomatic Vasospasm ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Fine Print

✓ Advanced age is a recognized prognostic indicator of poor outcome after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). The relationship of age to other prognostic factors and outcome was evaluated using data from the multicenter randomized trial of nicardipine in SAH conducted in 21 neurosurgical centers in North America. Among the 906 patients who were studied, five different age groups were considered: 40 years or less, 41 to 50, 51 to 60, 61 to 70, and more than 71 years. Twenty-three percent of the individuals enrolled were older than 60 years of age. Women outnumbered men in all age groups. Level of consciousness (p = 0.0002) and World Federation of Neurological Surgeons grade (p = 0.0001) at admission worsened with advancing age. Age was also related to the presence of a thick subarachnoid clot (p = 0.0001), intraventricular hemorrhage (p = 0.0003), and hydrocephalus (p = 0.0001) on an admission computerized tomography scan. The rebleeding rate increased from 4.5% in the youngest age group to 16.4% in patients more than 70 years of age (p = 0.002). As expected, preexisting medical conditions, such as diabetes (p = 0.028), hypertension (p = 0.0001), and pulmonary (p = 0.0084), myocardial (p = 0.0001), and cerebrovascular diseases (p = 0.0001), were positively associated with age. There were no age-related differences in the day of admission following SAH, timing of the surgery and/or location, and size (small vs. large) of the ruptured aneurysm. During the treatment period, the incidence of severe complications (that is, those complications considered life threatening by the reporting investigator) increased with advancing age, occurring in 28%, 33%, 36%, 40%, and 46% of the patients in each advancing age group, respectively (p = 0.0002). No differences were observed in the reported frequency of surgical complications. No age-related differences were found in the overall incidence of angiographic vasospasm; however, symptomatic vasospasm was more frequently reported in the older age groups (p = 0.01). Overall outcome, assessed using the Glasgow Outcome Scale at 3 months post-SAH, was poorer with advancing age (p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis of overall outcome, adjusting for the different prognostic factors, did not remove the age effect, which suggests that the aging brain has a less optimal response to the initial bleeding. Age as a risk factor is a continuum; however, there seems to be a significant increased risk of poor outcome after the age of 60 years.

Westeinde Sciatica Trial: randomized controlled study of bed rest and physiotherapy for acute sciatica

2002 ◽  
Vol 96 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Derk J. Hofstee ◽  
Johanna M. M. Gijtenbeek ◽  
Peter H. Hoogland ◽  
Hans C. van Houwelingen ◽  
Alfred Kloet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Surgical Treatment ◽  
Outcome Measures ◽  
Bed Rest ◽  
Control Treatment ◽  
Secondary Outcome ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
And Control ◽  
Acute Sciatica ◽  
Fine Print

Object. The authors conducted a study to compare the efficacies of three nonsurgical treatment strategies in patients with sciatica. Their hypothesis was that bed rest, physiotherapy, and continuation of activities of daily living (ADLs) (control treatment) are each of equivalent efficacy. Methods. This randomized controlled trial was designed for comparison of bed rest, physiotherapy, and continuation of ADLs. The setting was an outpatient clinic. General practitioners were asked to refer patients for treatment as soon as possible. The authors enrolled 250 patients (< 60 years of age) with sciatica of less than 1-month's duration and who had not yet been treated with bed rest or physiotherapy. Primary outcome measures were radicular pain (based on a visual analog pain scale [VAPS]) and hampered ADLs (Quebec Disability Scale [QDS]). Secondary outcome measures were the rates of treatment-related failure and surgical treatment. Measures were assessed at baseline and during follow up at 1, 2, and 6 months. Mean differences in VAPS and QDS scores between bed rest and control treatment were 2.5 (95% confidence interval [CI] −6.4 to 11.4) and −4.8 (95% CI −10.6 to 0.9) at 1 month and 0.9 (95% CI −8.7 to 10.4) and −2.7 (95% CI −9.9 to 4.4) at 2 months, respectively. The respective differences between physiotherapy and control treatment were 0.8 (95% CI −8.2 to 9.8) and −0.5 (95% CI −6.3 to 5.3) at 1 month and −0.3 (95% CI −9.4 to 10) and 0.0 (95% CI −7.2 to 7.3) at 2 months. The respective odds ratios for treatment failure and surgical treatment of bed rest compared with control treatment were 1.6 (95% CI 0.8–3.5) and 1.5 (95% CI 0.7–3.6) at 6 months. When physiotherapy was compared with control treatment, these ratios were 1.5 (95% CI 0.7–3.2) and 1.2 (95% CI 0.5–2.9) at 6 months, respectively. Conclusions. Bed rest and physiotherapy are not more effective in acute sciatica than continuation of ADLs.

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