Management of brain tumor-related epilepsy

Seizures are common in both primary and metastatic brain tumors, although the rate of seizures differ significantly between the different types of neoplasms. Patients with brain tumor-associated seizures need treatment with antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) to prevent recurrence, whereas strong clinical da...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Neurology India 2017-03, Vol.65 (7), p.60-S70
Main Authors: Klinger, NeilV, Shah, AashitK, Mittal, Sandeep
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adenosine
Blood-brain barrier
Brain cancer
Conflicts of interest
Convulsions & seizures
Electrodes
Epilepsy
Histology
Localization
Metastasis
Pathogenesis
Quality of life
Surgery
Tumors
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Description
Summary:Seizures are common in both primary and metastatic brain tumors, although the rate of seizures differ significantly between the different types of neoplasms. Patients with brain tumor-associated seizures need treatment with antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) to prevent recurrence, whereas strong clinical data exists to discourage routine prophylaxis in patients who have not had seizures. The newer AEDs, such as levetiracetam, lamotrigine, lacosamide, topiramate, or pregabalin, are preferable for various reasons, primarily related to the side-effect profile and limited interactions with other drugs. If seizures persist despite initiation of an appropriate monotherapy (in up to 30-40% of cases), additional anticonvulsants may be necessary. Early surgical intervention improves seizure outcomes in individuals with medically refractory epilepsy, especially in patients with a single lesion that is epileptogenic. Data for this review article were compiled by searching for scholarly articles using the following keywords: brain tumor, epilepsy, seizure, tumor-related epilepsy, central nervous system, epidemiology, review, clinical trial, and surgery. Articles were screened for relevance by title and abstract, and selected for review and inclusion based on significant contribution to the topics discussed.
ISSN:0028-3886
1998-4022
DOI:10.4103/neuroindia.NI_1076_16