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J Clin Med 2022 Jun 10;11(12). Epub 2022 Jun 10.

Department of Neurosurgery, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, 13353 Berlin, Germany.

The utilization of fluorescein-guided biopsies has recently been discussed to improve and expedite operative techniques in the detection of tumor-positive tissue, as well as to avoid making sampling errors. In this study, we aimed to report our experience with fluorescein-guided biopsies and elucidate distribution patterns in different histopathological diagnoses in order to develop strategies to increase the efficiency and accuracy of this technique. We report on 45 fluorescence-guided stereotactic biopsies in 44 patients (15 female, 29 male) at our institution from March 2016 to March 2021, including 25 frame-based stereotactic biopsies and 20 frameless image-guided biopsies using VarioGuide. Read More

J Neurooncol 2022 Jun 18. Epub 2022 Jun 18.

Department of Neurological Surgery, UCSF, San Francisco, CA, USA.

Introduction: Although immunosuppression is a known characteristic of glioma, no previous large studies have reported peripheral blood immune cell profiles prior to patient surgery and chemoradiation. This report describes blood immune cell characteristics and associated variables prior to surgery among typical glioma patients seen at a large University practice.

Methods: We analyzed pre-surgery blood samples from 139 glioma patients diagnosed with a new or recurrent grade II/III glioma (LrGG, n = 64) or new glioblastoma (GBM, n = 75) and 454 control participants without glioma. Read More

J Neurooncol 2022 Jun 18. Epub 2022 Jun 18.

Deptartment of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Kerpener St. 62, 50937, Cologne, Germany.

Background: The phase 2 REGOMA trial suggested an encouraging overall survival benefit in glioblastoma patients at first relapse treated with the multikinase inhibitor regorafenib. Here, we evaluated the efficacy and side effects of regorafenib in a real-life setting.

Methods: From 2018 to 2021, 30 patients with progressive WHO CNS grade 3 or 4 gliomas treated with regorafenib (160 mg/day; first 3 weeks of each 4-week cycle) with individual dose adjustment depending on toxicity were retrospectively identified. Read More

JNCI Cancer Spectr 2022 Jan;6(1)

Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.

Background: Population-based analyses of patterns of care and survival of older patients diagnosed with grade II-III oligodendroglioma (OLI) or astrocytoma (AST) can aid clinicians in their understanding and care of these patients.

Methods: We identified patients diagnosed between 2006 and 2015 with primary glioma diagnoses (OLI or AST) who were older than 65 years using the latest release of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare-linked database. Medicare claims were used to identify cancer treatments (surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy) from 2006 to 2016. Read More

J Phys Ther Sci 2022 Jun 6;34(6):473-477. Epub 2022 Jun 6.

Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Nara Medical University, Japan.

[Purpose] This study aimed to evaluate the improvement in lower extremity hemiplegia following brain tumor operation with an integrated volitional control electrical stimulator (IVES). [Participant and Methods] A 40 year-old male with anaplasic oligodendroglioma in the right frontal lobe underwent IVES in the rectus femoris and tibialis anterior muscles using the power-assist and sensor-trigger modes. Lower extremity motor function was assessed before and after the therapy sessions. Read More

BMC Cancer 2022 Jun 13;22(1):645. Epub 2022 Jun 13.

Neurology Clinic and National Centre for Tumour Diseases, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.

Background: Given the young age of patients with CNS WHO grade 2 and 3 oligodendrogliomas and the relevant risk of neurocognitive, functional, and quality-of-life impairment with the current aggressive standard of care treatment, chemoradiation with PCV, of the tumour located in the brain optimizing care is the major challenge.

Methods: NOA-18 aims at improving qualified overall survival (qOS) for adult patients with CNS WHO grade 2 and 3 oligodendrogliomas by randomizing between standard chemoradiation with up to six six-weekly cycles with PCV and six six-weekly cycles with lomustine and temozolomide (CETEG) (n = 182 patients per group accrued over 4 years) thereby delaying radiotherapy and adding the chemoradiotherapy concept at progression after initial radiation-free chemotherapy, allowing for effective salvage treatment and delaying potentially deleterious side effects. QOS represents a new concept and is defined as OS without functional and/or cognitive and/or quality of life deterioration regardless of whether tumour progression or toxicity is the main cause. Read More

Cancers (Basel) 2022 Jun 4;14(11). Epub 2022 Jun 4.

Interdisciplinary Centre for Bioinformatics (IZBI), University of Leipzig, 04107 Leipzig, Germany.

Multi-omics high-throughput technologies produce data sets which are not restricted to only one but consist of multiple omics modalities, often as patient-matched tumour specimens. The integrative analysis of these omics modalities is essential to obtain a holistic view on the otherwise fragmented information hidden in this data. We present an intuitive method enabling the combined analysis of multi-omics data based on self-organizing maps machine learning. Read More

Cancers (Basel) 2022 Jun 2;14(11). Epub 2022 Jun 2.

Department of Neurology and Wilhelm Sander-NeuroOncology Unit, Regensburg University Hospital, 93055 Regensburg, Germany.

The () mutation status is an indispensable prerequisite for diagnosis of glioma (astrocytoma and oligodendroglioma) according to the WHO classification of brain tumors 2021 and is a potential therapeutic target. Usually, immunohistochemistry followed by sequencing of tumor tissue is performed for this purpose. In clinical routine, however, non-invasive determination of mutation status is desirable in cases where tumor biopsy is not possible and for monitoring neuro-oncological therapies. Read More

Clin Cancer Res 2022 Jun 9. Epub 2022 Jun 9.

University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States.

Purpose: Telomere maintenance is a hallmark of cancer. Most tumors maintain telomere length via reactivation of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) expression. Identifying clinically translatable imaging biomarkers of TERT can enable non-invasive assessment of tumor proliferation and response to therapy. Read More

Virchows Arch 2022 Jun 9. Epub 2022 Jun 9.

Department of Histopathology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, 160012, India.

Teratomas with secondary somatic malignancy showing neuroglial differentiation (central nervous system (CNS)-type tumors) arising from a glial or neuroepithelial component is a very uncommon event and primarily described in the ovary. We aimed to describe the morphological spectrum and molecular features of CNS type of neuroepithelial tumors arising from the germ cell tumors (GCT) in the extra-gynecological sites. All cases of teratoma and mixed GCT arising from the non-gynecological sites over 7 years were screened for CNS type of neuroepithelial tumors. Read More

J Clin Imaging Sci 2022 5;12:24. Epub 2022 May 5.

Department of Imaging Sciences, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, United States.

Intractable or drug-resistant seizures in pediatric patients are often secondary to cortical malformations, hamartomas, or mass lesions. Various subtypes of intracerebral hamartomas, associated with seizure disorders, have been described. In this report, we describe a subtype of intracerebral hamartoma associated with intractable epilepsy in a 10-year-old patient. Read More

Sci Rep 2022 Jun 2;12(1):9197. Epub 2022 Jun 2.

Department of Clinical Radiology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.

This study aimed to determine whether quantitative relaxometry using synthetic magnetic resonance imaging (SyMRI) could differentiate between two diffuse glioma groups with isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH)-mutant tumors, achieving an increased sensitivity compared to the qualitative T2-fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) mismatch sign. Between May 2019 and May 2020, thirteen patients with IDH-mutant diffuse gliomas, including seven with astrocytomas and six with oligodendrogliomas, were evaluated. Five neuroradiologists independently evaluated the presence of the qualitative T2-FLAIR mismatch sign. Read More

Front Oncol 2022 13;12:893769. Epub 2022 May 13.

Department of Neurosurgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.

Background: Detection of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) is a promising technology in tumor management; however, the slow development of CTC identification methods hinders their clinical utility. Moreover, CTC detection is currently challenging owing to major issues such as isolation and correct identification. To improve the identification efficiency of glioma CTCs, we developed a karyoplasmic ratio (KR)-based identification method and constructed an automatic recognition algorithm. Read More

J Vis Exp 2022 05 13(183). Epub 2022 May 13.

Department of Biology, School of Science, Penn State Erie, The Behrend College; Magee Womens Research Institute-Allied Member;

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are nano-sized lipid-membrane bound structures that are released from all cells, are present in all biofluids, and contain proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids that are reflective of the parent cell from which they are derived. Proper separation of EVs from other components in a sample allows for characterization of their associated cargo and lends insight into their potential as intercellular communicators and non-invasive biomarkers for numerous diseases. In the current study, oligodendrocyte derived EVs were isolated from cell culture media using a combination of state-of-the-art techniques, including ultrafiltration and size exclusion chromatography (SEC) to separate EVs from other extracellular proteins and protein complexes. Read More

J Magn Reson Imaging 2022 May 28. Epub 2022 May 28.

Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Cancer Center Amsterdam, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Background: Amide proton transfer (APT) imaging is a chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) technique offering potential clinical applications such as diagnosis, characterization, and treatment planning and monitoring in glioma patients. While APT-CEST has demonstrated high potential, reproducibility remains underexplored.

Purpose: To investigate whether cerebral APT-CEST with clinically feasible scan time is reproducible in healthy tissue and glioma for clinical use at 3 T. Read More

Sensors (Basel) 2022 May 23;22(10). Epub 2022 May 23.

Graduate School of Smart Convergence, Kwangwoon University, Seoul 01897, Korea.

Digital pathology analysis using deep learning has been the subject of several studies. As with other medical data, pathological data are not easily obtained. Because deep learning-based image analysis requires large amounts of data, augmentation techniques are used to increase the size of pathological datasets. Read More

Turk Neurosurg 2022 ;32(3):500-507

Istanbul University, Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery, Istanbul, Turkey.

Aim: To evaluate isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) mutation status and Ki67 percentages of tumors that were treated in our institution to determine whether these markers affected the initial diagnosis and survival rates.

Material And Methods: High-grade glioma patients, who were operated in our department between 2013 and 2018, were enrolled in the study and retrospectively reviewed. New immunohistochemistry staining studies were conducted and survival analyses were performed. Read More

Neuro Oncol 2022 May 23. Epub 2022 May 23.

Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Department of Pediatrics.

Background: The incidence and biology of IDH1/2 mutations in pediatric gliomas are unclear. Notably, current treatment approaches by pediatric and adult providers vary significantly. We describe the frequency and clinical outcomes of IDH1/2-mutant gliomas in pediatrics. Read More

Neurooncol Pract 2022 May 17;9(3):163-164. Epub 2022 Mar 17.

Departments of Neurology and Medical Oncology and Hematology, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Neurooncol Pract 2022 May 14;9(3):201-207. Epub 2022 Jan 14.

Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Background: The optimal chemotherapy regimen between temozolomide and procarbazine, lomustine, and vincristine (PCV) remains uncertain for WHO grade 3 oligodendroglioma (Olig3) patients. We therefore investigated this question using national data.

Methods: Patients diagnosed with radiotherapy-treated 1p/19q-codeleted Olig3 between 2010 and 2018 were identified from the National Cancer Database. Read More

Neurol Res Pract 2022 May 23;4(1):20. Epub 2022 May 23.

DKTK (German Cancer Consortium) Clinical Cooperation Unit (CCU) Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.

Introduction: Isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) mutations are disease-defining mutations in IDH-mutant astrocytomas and IDH-mutant and 1p/19q-codeleted oligodendrogliomas. In more than 80% of these tumors, point mutations in IDH type 1 (IDH1) lead to expression of the tumor-specific protein IDH1R132H. IDH1R132H harbors a major histocompatibility complex class II (MHCII)-restricted neoantigen that was safely and successfully targeted in a first-in human clinical phase 1 trial evaluating an IDH1R132H 20-mer peptide vaccine (IDH1-vac) in newly diagnosed astrocytomas concomitant to standard of care (SOC). Read More

Eur Radiol 2022 May 19. Epub 2022 May 19.

Department of Neurosurgery, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea.

Objectives: To determine whether imaging-based risk stratification enables prognostication in diffuse glioma, NOS (not otherwise specified).

Methods: Data from 220 patients classified as diffuse glioma, NOS, between January 2011 and December 2020 were retrospectively included. Two neuroradiologists analyzed pre-surgical CT and MRI to assign gliomas to the three imaging-based risk types considering well-known imaging phenotypes (e. Read More

Leuk Lymphoma 2022 May 19:1-4. Epub 2022 May 19.

Hematology Unit, Department of Translational and Precision Medicine, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy.

J Mass Spectrom Adv Clin Lab 2022 Apr 29;24:80-89. Epub 2022 Apr 29.

Maastricht MultiModal Molecular Imaging (M4I) Institute, Division of Imaging Mass Spectrometry, Maastricht University, 6229 ER Maastricht, The Netherlands.

Introduction: The main goal of brain tumour surgery is to maximize tumour resection while avoiding neurological deficits. Accurate characterization of tissue and delineation of resection margins are, therefore, essential to achieve optimal surgical results.

Objectives: The primary objective of this study was to develop and validate a mass spectrometry- based technique for the molecular characterization of high- and low-grade glioma tissue during surgery. Read More

Indian J Pathol Microbiol 2022 May;65(Supplement):S14-S23

Department of Neuropathology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.

The fifth edition of the World Health Organization (WHO) Classification of Tumors of the Central Nervous System (WHO CNS5) features several changes in the classification, diagnostic criteria, nomenclature, and grading of diffuse gliomas. Adult-type diffuse gliomas are genetically defined and include astrocytoma, isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH)-mutant, oligodendroglioma, IDH-mutant and 1p/19q codeleted, and glioblastoma, IDH-wildtype. This review briefly discusses two tumor types: astrocytoma, IDH-mutant, and oligodendroglioma, IDH-mutant and 1p/19q codeleted, with emphasis on relevant changes in their classification and defining molecular genetic alterations. Read More

Hum Pathol 2022 May 10;126:63-76. Epub 2022 May 10.

Johns Hopkins Genomics, USA; Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, USA; Cytogenetics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University Hospital, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA. Electronic address:

Molecular classification of brain neoplasms is important for diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment outcome of histologically similar tumors. Oligodendroglioma is a glioma subtype characterized by 1p/19q co-deletion and IDH1/IDH2 mutations, which predict a good prognosis, responsiveness to therapy, and an improved overall survival compared to other adult gliomas. In a routine clinical setting, 1p/19q co-deletion is detected by interphase-FISH and SNP microarray, and somatic mutations are detected by targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS). Read More

Acta Neuropathol Commun 2022 05 7;10(1):70. Epub 2022 May 7.

Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Vancouver General Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.

Diffusely infiltrative low-grade gliomas (LGG) are primary brain tumours that arise predominantly in the cerebral hemispheres of younger adults. LGG can display either astrocytic or oligodendroglial histology and do not express malignant histological features. Vast majority of LGG are unified by IDH mutations. Read More

Oncologist 2022 May;27(5):414-423

Department of Neuro-Oncology, East Group Hospital, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Lyon, France.

Background: Anaplastic oligodendrogliomas IDH-mutant and 1p/19q codeleted (AO) occasionally have a poor outcome. Herein we aimed at analyzing their characteristics.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the characteristics of 44 AO patients with a cancer-specific survival <5 years (short-term survivors, STS) and compared them with those of 146 AO patients with a survival ≥5 years (classical survivors, CS) included in the POLA network. Read More

Neuro Oncol 2022 May 3. Epub 2022 May 3.

Department of Neuropathology, Institute of Pathology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.

Background: IDH-mutant gliomas are separate based on the codeletion of the chromosomal arms 1p and 19q into oligodendrogliomas IDH-mutant 1p/19q-codeleted and astrocytomas IDH-mutant. While nuclear loss of ATRX expression excludes 1p/19q codeletion, its limited sensitivity prohibits to conclude on 1p/19q status in tumors with retained nuclear ATRX expression.

Methods: Employing mass spectrometry based proteomic analysis in a discovery series containing 35 fresh frozen and 72 formalin fixed and paraffin embedded tumors with established IDH and 1p/19q status, potential biomarkers were discovered. Read More

J Vet Intern Med 2022 May 30;36(3):1039-1048. Epub 2022 Apr 30.

Department of Biomedical Sciences, Section of Anatomic Pathology, Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA.

Background: Intracranial neoplasia is relatively common in dogs and stereotactic radiotherapy, surgical debulking, or both, are the most successful treatment approaches. A key component of treatment planning involves delineating tumor margin on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations. How MRI signal intensity alterations relate to histological tumor margins is unknown. Read More