Early removal of slow-growing brain tumours dramatically improves survival

A shift in surgical practice over the last decade towards the earlier removal of a type of slow-growing but ultimately fatal brain tumour has led to dramatic improvements in survival and seizure control for patients, a study at UCLH and UCL has found. Patients with low-grade gliomas (LGGs) had a 50% chance of dying within 10 years of diagnosis in 2006, compared to a 4% chance in 2017, according to an analysis of patient records by Dr Jeremy Rees and his team at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery and the UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, published today in Neuro-Oncology Practice . The number of patients who were seizure-free for one year or more after surgery went up from 22% in 2006 to 42% in 2017. Under DVLA rules, these patients would be eligible to drive again, preserving their independence. By 2017 three times as many patients were undergoing surgery to remove their tumour within one year of diagnosis compared with 2006. Dr Rees said: "The improvements we saw in survival and seizure control were staggering. It appears that this change in approach - to operate earlier - has led to a step change in how long patients can expect to live.