Children with brain cancer and their families have complex care needs throughout diagnosis, active treatment, long-term survivorship, and the palliative phase of illness. This study aimed to explore the perspectives of Australian specialist clinicians on barriers and facilitators to health care for children with brain cancer and their families.

A qualitative approach was taken using semi-structured interviews. Eligible participants were clinicians of any discipline providing care to children with brain cancer and their families in Australia. Interviews were conducted by telephone and asked about perceived strengths and weaknesses in health care and available resources for this population. Qualitative content analysis used a directed approach with inductive refinement.

Eleven clinicians participated, 5 of whom were medical, 3 nursing, and 3 allied health. The overarching theme was that the rarity and diversity of brain tumors in children confers challenges to care that lead to variation in practice. Participants reported having to adapt care from guidelines and patient/family resources designed for adults with brain cancer and children with other cancers, and rely on clinical and research networks. Specialist comprehensive cancer care was generally perceived to offer the best model for accommodating the unique needs of each child/family, but barriers to access were highlighted for children in remote Australia, and long-term follow-up was perceived to be inadequate regardless of where children lived.

Until further brain cancer-specific paediatric guidelines become available, our findings highlight the need for communities of practice to share resources and reduce unwarranted variation.

Future research should focus on developing and evaluating guidelines and other resources specific to children with brain cancer, as well as informing suitable models for long-term follow-up care for survivors.

Meningiomas are common brain neoplasms that can significantly influence health-related quality of life (HRQOL), yet the factors influencing HRQOL in adult patients remain unclear. We aimed to bridge this knowledge gap by determining these key factors.

We conducted a systematic review, searching EMBASE, MEDLINE, CINAHL, Scopus and PsycINFO up to February 2024. We included original, peer-reviewed studies focusing on adult patients (>18 years) with current or past meningioma at any stage of treatment that measured HRQOL or its proxies in relation to patient-, tumour- and treatment-related factors. Two independent reviewers screened abstracts and full-texts, selecting studies with an acceptable risk of bias for data extraction and narrative synthesis. The protocol of this review was registered on PROSPERO (# CRD42023431097).

Of N = 3002 studies identified, N = 31 studies were included. Key factors found to influence HRQOL in adult meningioma patients include surgery, radiotherapy, neurological function, functional status, comorbidities, sleep quality, psychological impairment, age and employment. Factors related to tumour characteristics yielded inconsistent findings. Heterogeneity and inconsistencies in HRQOL measurement across studies hindered definitive conclusions about the impact of factors on HRQOL.

Our review elucidates the multifaceted influences on HRQOL in meningioma patients, with significant variability due to patient-, tumour- and treatment-related factors. We emphasize the need for standardized, disease-specific HRQOL assessments in meningioma patients. Collaborative efforts towards consistent, large-scale, prospective research are essential to comprehensively understand and improve HRQOL, thereby enhancing tailored care for this population.

An early economic evaluation to inform the translation into clinical practice of a spectroscopic liquid biopsy for the detection of brain cancer. Two specific aims are (1) to update an existing economic model with results from a prospective study of diagnostic accuracy and (2) to explore the potential of brain tumor-type predictions to affect patient outcomes and healthcare costs.

A cost-effectiveness analysis from a UK NHS perspective of the use of spectroscopic liquid biopsy in primary and secondary care settings, as well as a cost–consequence analysis of the addition of tumor-type predictions was conducted. Decision tree models were constructed to represent simplified diagnostic pathways. Test diagnostic accuracy parameters were based on a prospective validation study. Four price points (GBP 50-200, EUR 57-228) for the test were considered.

In both settings, the use of liquid biopsy produced QALY gains. In primary care, at test costs below GBP 100 (EUR 114), testing was cost saving. At GBP 100 (EUR 114) per test, the ICER was GBP 13,279 (EUR 15,145), whereas at GBP 200 (EUR 228), the ICER was GBP 78,300 (EUR 89,301). In secondary care, the ICER ranged from GBP 11,360 (EUR 12,956) to GBP 43,870 (EUR 50,034) across the range of test costs.

The results demonstrate the potential for the technology to be cost-effective in both primary and secondary care settings. Additional studies of test use in routine primary care practice are needed to resolve the remaining issues of uncertainty—prevalence in this patient population and referral behavior.

This study aimed to examine: (1) patient–proxy agreement on executive functioning (EF) of patients with primary brain tumors, (2) the relationships between patient- and proxy-report with performance-based measures of EF, and (3) the potential influence of performance-based measures on the level of agreement.

Meningioma and low-grade glioma patients and their informal caregivers completed the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF-A) 3 months after surgery. The two index scores of the BRIEF-A, Behavioral Regulation and Metacognition, were evaluated. Mean scores of patients and proxies were compared with normative values and with each other. Patient–proxy agreement was evaluated with Lin’s concordance correlation coefficients (CCCs) and Bland–Altman plots. Pearson correlation coefficients between reported EF and performance-based measures of EF were calculated. Multiple regression analysis was used to evaluate the potential influence of test performance on differences in dyadic reports.

A total of 47 dyads were included. Patients reported significantly more problems on the Metacognition Index compared to norms, and also in comparison with their proxies. Effect sizes indicated small differences. Moderate to substantial agreement was observed between patients and proxies, with CCCs of 0.57 and 0.61 for Metacognition and Behavioral Regulation, respectively. Correlations between reported EF and test performance ranged between −0.37 and 0.10. Dyadic agreement was not significantly influenced by test performance.

Patient–proxy agreement was found to be moderate. No clear associations were found between reported EF and test performance. Future studies should further explore the existing and new methods to assess everyday EF in brain tumor patients.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) shows promising results in treating radionecrosis (RN) but there is limited evidence for its use in brain RN. The purpose of this study is to report the outcomes of using HBOT for symptomatic brain RN at a single institution.

This was a retrospective review of patients with symptomatic brain RN between 2008 and 2018 and was treated with HBOT. Demographic data, steroid use, clinical response, radiologic response and toxicities were collected. The index time for analysis was the first day of HBOT. The primary endpoint was clinical improvement of a presenting symptom, including steroid dose reduction.

Thirteen patients who received HBOT for symptomatic RN were included. The median time from last brain radiation therapy to presenting symptoms of brain RN was 6 months. Twelve patients (92%) had clinical improvement with median time to symptom improvement of 33 days (range 1–109 days). One patient had transient improvement after HBOT but had recurrent symptomatic RN at 12 months. Of the eight patients with evaluable follow-up MRI, four patients had radiological improvement while four had stable necrosis appearance. Two patients had subsequent deterioration in MRI appearances, one each in the background of initial radiologic improvement and stability. Median survival was 15 months with median follow-up of 10 months. Seven patients reported side effects attributable to HBOT (54%), four of which were otologic in origin.

HBOT is a safe and effective treatment for brain RN. HBOT showed clinical and radiologic improvement or stability in most patients. Prospective studies to further evaluate the effectiveness and side effects of HBOT are needed.