The integration of stimulation modalities with clinical context enhances the extent and safety of resection and expands the population of patients who could benefit from surgical treatment.

The extent of surgical resection (EOR) has been recorded as conditioning outcome in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) patients but no significant improvements were recorded in survival. The study aimed to evaluate the impact of EOR on survival, investigating the role of fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) abnormalities removal. 282 newly diagnosed GBM patients were treated with surgery followed by concurrent and adjuvant chemo-radiotherapy. The EOR was defined as: SUPr, in case of resection amounting to 100% of enhanced and FLAIR areas; gross total (GTR) in case of resection between 90 and 100% of enhanced areas with variable amount of FLAIR abnormalities; sub-total (STR), between 10 and 89%; biopsy (B) <10%. FLAIR-RTV was dichotomized in percentage values to identify the best separation threshold for progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). SUPr was obtained in 21 patients (7.4%), GTR in 60 (21.3%), STR in 143 (50.7%) and biopsy only in 58 (20.6%). The median, 1, 2-year PFS were 10.4 ± 0.4 months, 39.0 ± 3.0, and 17.0 ± 2.0%; the median, 1, 2-year OS were 14.5 ± 0.5 months, 63.3 ± 3.0, and 23.1 ± 3.1%. EOR was significantly influencing survival (p < 0.001). The median, 1, 2-year OS were 28.6 ± 5.2 months, 90.0 ± 6.0, 71.0 ± 10.0% for patients underwent SUPr vs. 16.2 ± 1.2 months, 81.0 ± 5.0, 24.0 ± 6.0% for GTR. The FLAIR removal threshold conditioning survival was 45%. Minor complications were recorded in 14 (5%) patients and major in 8 (2.8%). surgical resection beyond contrast-enhancing boundaries could represent a promising strategy to improve outcome in GBM patients. The identification of a FLAIR-RTV threshold can be useful in clinical practice and it was recorded as factor influencing survival.

C-METH PET parameters are significantly correlated with histological grade and IDH1 mutation status in patients with glioma. Grade, pathological classification, molecular biomarkers, SUVmax and SUVratio were prognostic factors for PFS in this cohort of patients. The trial was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (registration: NCT02518061).

Background supratotal resection is advocated in lower-grade-gliomas (LGGs) based on theoretical advantages, but with limited verification of functional risk and data on oncological outcomes. We assessed the association of supratotal resection in molecular-defined LGGs with oncological outcomes. Methods 460 presumptive LGGs included; 404 resected; 347 were LGGs, 319 IDH-mutated, 28 wildtype. All patients had clinical, imaging, molecular data. Resection aimed at supratotal resection without any patient or tumor a-priori selection. The association of Extent-of-Resection (EOR), categorized on volumetric-FLAIR-images as residual-tumor-volume, along with post-surgical-management with Progression-free-survival (PFS), malignant-progression-free-survival (MPFS), and Overall-Survival (OS) assessed by univariate, multivariate, propensity-score-analysis. The study mainly focused on IDH-mutated-LGGs, the “typical LGGs”. Results Median follow-up:6.8 years(IQR:5-8). Out of 319 IDH-mutated-LGGs, 190 (59.6%) progressed, median PFS:4.7 years(95%CI:4–5.3). Total and supratotal resection obtained in 39% and 35% of patients of IDH1-mutated tumors. In IDH-mutated, most patients in partial/subtotal group progressed, 82.4% in total, only 6 (5.4%) in supratotal. Median PFS was 29 months(95%CI:25-36) in subtotal, 46 months(95%CI:38-48) in total, while at 92 months, PFS in supratotal was 94.0%. There was no association with molecular-subtypes and grade. At random-forest-analysis, PFS strongly associated with EOR,RT, previous treatment. In the propensity-score analysis, EOR associated with PFS (HR,0.03;95%CI,0.01-0.13). MPFS occurred in 32.1% of subtotal-total groups; 1 event in supratotal. EOR, grade-III, previous treatment correlated to MPFS. At random-forest analysis, OS associated with EOR as well. Conclusions Supratotal resection strongly associated with PFS, MPFS and OS in LGGs, regardless of molecular subtypes and grade, right from the beginning of clinical presentation.

BackgroundHypo-fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (HSRT) is emerging as a valid treatment option for patients with single, large brain metastases (BMs). We analyzed a set of our patients treated with HSRT. The aim of this study was to evaluate local control (LC), brain distant progression (BDP), toxicity and overall survival (OS).MethodsFrom July 2011 to May 2015, 102 patients underwent HSRT consisting of 27Gy/3fractions for lesions 2.1–3 cm and 32Gy/4 fractions for lesions 3.1–5 cm. Local progression was defined as increase of the enhancing abnormality on MRI, and distant progression as new brain metastases outside the irradiated volume. Toxicity in terms of radio-necrosis was assessed using contrast enhanced T1MRI, T2 weighted-MRI and perfusion- MRI.ResultThe median maximum diameter of BM was 2.9 cm (range 2.1–5 cm), the median gross target volume (GTV) was 16.3 cm3 and the median planning target volume (PTV) was 33.7 cm3 The median,1,2-year local control rate was 30 months, 96, 96 %; the median, 1–2-year rate of BDP was 24 months, 12, 24 %; the median,1,2-year OS was 14 months, 69, 33 %. KPS and controlled extracranial disease were associated with significant survival benefit (p <0.01). Brain radio-necrosis occurred in six patients (5.8 %).ConclusionIn patients with single, large BMs unsuitable for surgical resection, HSRT is a safe and feasible treatment, with good brain local control and limited toxicity.