Abstracts

Rationale: Patients with low grade brain tumors (LGBT) frequently experience seizures that can significantly affect their quality of life. However there is little evidence about seizure management and patient s cancer and life impact among this group. The purpose of this study was to analyze efficacy and tolerability variables of antiepileptic (AEDs) treatment of a group of patients with LGBT associated to seizures. Methods: We retrospectively analyze thirty patients with LGBT. Data were collected regarding patient s epidemiological characteristics and oncology and epilepsy history. Results: Mean age at diagnosis was of 38.3 %, 56.7% were male. The major histologic diagnosis was low grade astrocytomas (36.7%). Most of the patients experienced seizures (86.7%), on 66.7% it was the LGBT debut symptom. Previous tumor diagnosis, 6.7% were epileptic. Over 93.3% patients were initially treated with classic generation AEDs, after two years of follow up there were only 56.7%, the rest of them received new AEDs. The main reason of classic AEDs replacement for new ones was adverse effects at 6 months follow up and chemotherapy interaction at 24 months (p:0.000). Initially only 14.3% were supervised by an epileptologist. The effectiveness in seizure control showed no significant difference between classic and new generation AEDs treatment (p>0.05). However tolerability variables seem to be influenced by AEDs treatment election. Those patients with LGBT and seizures treated with new AED experience less adverse effects and had better quality life s punctuations (Karnofski index, KI) reaching statistical significance (p<0.05). The percentage of patients with an KI ? 80 was of 100% in those treated with new generation AEDs and only of 64.7% on classic AEDs treatment group (p:0.017). Conclusions: Our findings indicate a high rate of new generation AEDs tolerability among this group compared with classic ones, with no efficacy difference on seizure control.