Safety of commercial airflight in patients with brain tumors: a case series

Phillips, Michelle; Saria, Marlon Garzo; Eisenberg, Amy; Kelly, Daniel F.; Barkhoudarian, Garni

doi:10.1007/s11060-018-2905-6

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…However, they cautioned that corticosteroids and anticonvulsants should be considered in patients who are symptomatic or have relatively large tumors with mass effect and peritumoral edema. 24 Although cerebral disease should not be affected by reduced pressure, moderate hypoxemia at a high altitude could theoretically lower an already reduced seizure threshold. 31 Oxygen delivery may be decreased in patients who are elderly, are volume depleted, are anemic, or have significant cardiopulmonary disease.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There were no published data on the role of prophylactic corticosteroids preflight to prevent development or exacerbation of edema in patients with cerebral tumors, except for the study by Phillips et al 24 noting an inverse correlation between periflight corticosteroid usage and symptom exacerbation. There were also no published data concerning the influence of altitude on the frequency of intracranial hemorrhage.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The case series by Phillips et al 24 was the biggest study performed thus far in patients with brain tumors. The authors found that patients with completely asymptomatic tumors did not develop any symptoms during flight, whereas there was an inverse correlation between periflight corticosteroid use and symptom exacerbation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Traveling With Cancer: A Guide for Oncologists in the Modern World

Heng¹,

Hughes

Hibbert

et al. 2019

JGO

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PURPOSE Travel for patients with cancer has become more achievable because of gains in quality of life and overall survival. The risk assessment of these patients is complex, and there is a paucity of data to which clinicians can refer. We present the challenges of traveling with cancer and a review of the literature. METHODS A review using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines was performed. A search using the terms ”cancer,” “advanced cancer,” ”metastases,” “brain edema,” “lymphoedema,” “pneumothorax,” ”pleural effusion,” “pericardial effusion,” pneumonitis,” “hypoxia,” “end-of-life,” and “shunt,” combined with “flying” and “air travel,” was conducted. The PubMed and Cochrane databases were searched for English-language studies up to December 2018. Studies, case reports, or guidelines referring to travel in the context of adult patients with malignancies were included. A total of 745 published articles were identified; 16 studies were included. An inclusive approach to data extraction was used. RESULTS There were no specific criteria to deem a patient with cancer fit to travel. Neurologic, respiratory, and cardiac implications, and time from recent surgery or procedure need to be considered There was a lack of high-quality studies to inform decisions, but the British Thoracic Society and Aerospace Medical Association Medical Guidelines included recommendations for fitness to fly for patients with cancer. CONCLUSION In the absence of large prospective studies, individual fitness to travel should be assessed on a case-by-case basis, bearing in mind that maximizing a patient’s ability to safely travel is an important goal for many individuals with cancer.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Traveling With Cancer: A Guide for Oncologists in the Modern World

Heng¹,

Hughes

Hibbert

et al. 2019

JGO

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“…Considering studies conducted so far on time to return to activities of daily living (ADL) postoperatively in patients with brain tumors, work contents were most accounted for among various ADL items [ 5 , 10 , 17 , 21 , 23 ], and there was a study on shampoo timing [ 12 ]. Besides that, most studies compared daily activities level or function pre- and postoperatively [ 19 , 20 ] or grasped the postoperative status of single ADL items, such as complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), sexuality, and air travel [ 6 , 13 , 18 , 22 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A single-center prospective study regarding time to return to activities of daily living after craniotomy for brain tumors

et al. 2023

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Background There are few studies on the time to return to activities of daily living (ADL) after craniotomy in patients with brain tumors. This study aimed to investigate the duration before returning to ADLs after craniotomy for brain tumors and present data that can provide information and guidelines on the appropriate time needed. Methods Patients ( n = 183 of 234) who underwent craniotomy for brain tumors between April 2021 and July 2021 capable of self-care upon discharge were enrolled, and data of 158 were collected. The start time of 85 ADL items was prospectively investigated for 4 months postoperatively, using the self-recording sheet. Results Over 89% and 87% of the patients performed basic ADL items within a month and instrumental ADL items within 2 months (medians: within 18 days), except for a few. Regarding work, 50% of the patients returned within 4 months. Washing hair with a wound was performed at 18 days of median value, after 4 months of dyeing/perming hair, 6 days of drinking coffee/tea, after 4 months of air travel, and 40 days of complementary and alternative medicine. In patients with infratentorial tumors or surgical problems, return times were much later for various items. Conclusions It is possible to provide practical information and guidelines on the duration to return to ADL after craniotomy in brain tumor patients. These study findings also reduce uncertainty about recovery and daily life and help patients return to their daily life at the appropriate time, thereby maintaining function and daily well-being after surgery.

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