Epilepsy represents a challenge in the management of patients with brain tumors. Epileptic seizures are one of the most frequent comorbidities in neuro-oncology and may be the debut symptom of a brain tumor or a complication during its evolution. Epileptogenic mechanisms of brain tumors are not yet fully elucidated, although new factors related to the underlying pathophysiological process with possible treatment implications have been described. In recent years, the development of new anti-seizure medications (ASM), with better pharmacokinetic profiles and fewer side effects, has become a paradigm shift in many clinical scenarios in neuro-oncology, being able, for instance, to adapt epilepsy treatment to specific features of each patient. This is crucial in several situations, such as patients with cognitive/psychiatric comorbidity, pregnancy, or advanced age, among others. In this narrative review, we provide a rationale for decision-making in ASM choice for neuro-oncologic patients, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of each drug. In addition, according to current literature evidence, we try to answer some of the most frequent questions that arise in daily clinical practice in patients with epilepsy related to brain tumors, such as, which patients are the best candidates for ASM and when to start it, what is the best treatment option for each patient, and what are the major pitfalls to be aware of during follow-up.

Central nervous system involvement related to decompression sickness (DCS) is a very rare complication of breath-hold diving. So far, it has been postulated that repeated dives with short surface intervals represent a key factor in the development of breath-holding-related DCS. We report the case of a breath-hold diver who, after repeated immersion, developed DCS with brain involvement. After treatment in a hyperbaric chamber, there was a clinical improvement in the symptoms. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain showed hyperintense lesions in long-time repetition sequences (FLAIR, T2WI) in the left frontal and right temporal lobes. Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) sequences and the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) map were characteristic of vasogenic edema, allowing us to exclude the ischemic nature of the process. These findings, together with the acute clinical presentation, the resolution of lesions in evolutionary radiological controls and the possible involvement of blood–brain barrier/endothelial dysfunction in DCS, could suggest a new form of posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES)-like presentation of DCS. This would represent a novel mechanism to explain the pathophysiology of this entity. We conducted a literature review, analyzing the pathophysiological and neuroimaging characteristics of DCS in breath-hold diving based on a case of this rare disease.

Background: Whole-brain radiation therapy (WBRT) and stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) are two treatment modalities commonly utilized to treat brain metastases (BMs). Aim: The purpose of this study is to analyze retrospectively the local control and survival of patients with BMs of breast cancer (BC) treated via radiosurgery using Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT-RS). Methods: 18 patients with 41 BMs of BC and treated by VMAT-RS were studied. They were classified according to the molecular subtype of BC and the modified breast graded prognostic assessment -GPA- index. Patients presented 1-4 BMs, which were treated with 5 non-coplanar VMAT arcs. The spatial distribution of BMs, the influence of receptor status on the location of the lesions and survival assessed via the Kaplan-Meier model were analyzed. Results: The median survival time (MST) was 19.7 months. Statistically significant differences were determined in the MST according to the Karnofsky performance status (p= 0.02) and the HER2 status (p= 0.004), being more prolonged in the HER2+ patients. Finally, our results showed that the cerebellum is the predominant site of breast cancer BMs, and also suggested that HER2+BMs had a predilection for some structures of the posterior circulation, such as the cerebellum, brainstem and occipital lobes (p= 0.048). Conclusions: The VMAT-RS is a technique with an overall survival compared to other radiosurgery techniques. The baseline situation at the time of treatment, the modified breast-GPA and the molecular subtypes are factors that significantly influence patient survival.

Antiepileptic drugs have been known to worsen myasthenia gravis (MG) symptoms, and therefore, in patients who suffer both conditions (myasthenia and epilepsy), treatment selection is difficult. We report 2 cases of patients with MG who were safely treated with lacosamide. Evidence about antiepileptic drug treatment and adverse effects in MG is reviewed.