Latest Research
All publications from the Cancer3.AI database, newest first.
Seizure outcomes as an understudied metric in glioma clinical trials: A review of the ClinicalTrials.gov database.
Haile H, et al
Researchers conducted a systematic review of over 2,800 glioma clinical trials registered on ClinicalTrials.gov between 2010 and 2025 to evaluate how seizure outcomes are measured and reported in studies of adult diffuse gliomas. Seizures are a frequent and debilitating symptom in glioma patients, affecting quality of life and potentially influencing tumor behavior, yet only 65 trials (2.3%) included any seizure-related outcomes. Among those trials, reporting methods were highly inconsistent: most relied on simple binary measures, and only 9 trials used International League Against Epilepsy guidelines for systematic seizure tracking, while just 7 used validated outcome scales. This striking gap means that clinical trials are failing to capture one of the most impactful symptoms experienced by glioma patients in a rigorous or comparable way. The authors argue that adopting standardized, seizure-specific endpoints in future glioma trials is essential to produce meaningful, patient-centered evidence and to better inform treatment decisions for the millions affected by this disease.
Neuro-oncology advances
Source →Quadruple-valve replacement in patients with carcinoid heart disease: A 24-year experience.
Treffalls JA, et al
Researchers at a single institution reviewed 24 years of experience performing quadruple-valve replacement — the simultaneous surgical replacement of all four heart valves — in patients with carcinoid heart disease, a rare complication of neuroendocrine tumors that damages cardiac valves. The study included 13 patients treated between 1999 and 2022, the majority of whom were women with advanced heart failure symptoms and liver metastases at the time of surgery. Operative mortality was 15.4%, and while surviving patients showed some improvement in heart failure symptoms at three months, median overall survival was only 7.2 months, with roughly 31% of patients alive at three years. These findings highlight that quadruple-valve replacement carries significant risks and offers limited long-term benefit for most patients, given the underlying cancer burden. Clinicians are urged to carefully select candidates for this complex surgery, weighing the potential for symptom relief against the high perioperative risk and poor prognosis associated with metastatic carcinoid disease.
JTCVS open
Source →Management of Adrenal Incidentalomas: A Survey of Physicians from the Middle East and Africa.
Beshyah SA, et al
A new survey published in La Tunisie Medicale examined how physicians from the Middle East and Africa manage adrenal incidentalomas, which are masses in the adrenal glands discovered accidentally during imaging performed for unrelated reasons. The study collected responses from 171 clinicians, predominantly endocrinologists, and assessed their knowledge of diagnostic criteria, biochemical testing, and long-term follow-up practices. Key findings revealed that many physicians underestimate the malignancy risk associated with adrenal masses larger than 4 centimeters, while simultaneously over-investigating patients whose tumors have already been identified as benign through imaging. Specifically, more than half of respondents recommended repeated biochemical testing in lesions initially deemed inactive, and many planned follow-up extending to four or five years regardless of imaging findings, which goes beyond current guideline recommendations. These patterns suggest suboptimal adherence to established international guidelines in this region, leading to unnecessary patient burden and healthcare resource use. The authors call for targeted education and awareness campaigns to improve guideline compliance among clinicians managing adrenal incidentalomas across the Middle East and Africa.
La Tunisie medicale
Source →Time matters: The prognostic impact of diagnostic delay on survival in primary central nervous system lymphoma-a single-center, retrospective real-world study.
Lehner L, et al
Researchers at a single tertiary care center conducted a retrospective study of 125 patients diagnosed with primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) between 2008 and 2021, a rare and aggressive brain cancer that is notoriously difficult to diagnose because it mimics other neurological diseases. The study found that the median time from first symptoms to confirmed diagnosis was 37 days, and that patients diagnosed within 12 days of their first neuroimaging had significantly better overall survival and progression-free survival compared to those with longer delays. In a multivariate analysis, good functional status (Karnofsky Performance Status ≥70%), preserved kidney function, and methotrexate-based chemotherapy were independent predictors of longer overall survival, while diagnostic delay beyond 12 days was an independent predictor of worse progression-free survival. Autologous stem cell transplantation offered the best survival outcomes among eligible patients. These findings send a clear clinical message: reducing diagnostic delays in PCNSL is not merely a procedural goal but a potentially life-saving priority, and clinicians should pursue rapid histopathological confirmation whenever this diagnosis is suspected.
Neuro-oncology advances
Source →Health-related quality of life outcomes of surgery for diffuse glioma: A systematic review and pooled analysis.
Akkara Y, et al
A new systematic review and pooled analysis published in Neuro-Oncology Practice examined how surgical removal of diffuse gliomas — aggressive brain tumors — affects patients' health-related quality of life (HR-QoL). Researchers analyzed data from 12 prospective studies involving 1,000 patients with WHO grade 2–4 gliomas, comparing HR-QoL before and after surgery. The findings showed that within the first three months after surgery, quality of life neither significantly improved nor worsened compared to baseline, but by the final follow-up point, patients were significantly more likely to report favorable rather than unfavorable changes in HR-QoL. Younger patients, those with more aggressive high-grade tumors, and those who did not undergo complete tumor removal were at greater risk of quality-of-life decline. The study also highlighted an important methodological concern: different HR-QoL measurement tools — particularly preference-based versus non-preference-based scales — may not be directly comparable, urging future researchers to select and interpret these instruments carefully. Overall, the results reassure clinicians that surgical resection can maintain or even improve quality of life for many glioma patients, while also stressing the importance of early identification of those at risk of deterioration.
Neuro-oncology practice
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