Neurosurgery
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Chronic pain occurs in 83% of Parkinson disease (PD) patients and deep brain stimulation (DBS) has shown to result in pain relief in a subset of patients, though the mechanism is unclear. ⋯ Patients in the control and PNR groups showed SI deactivation at baseline in contrast to the PR patients who showed SI activation. With DBS ON, the PR cohort had less activity in SI, whereas the PNR had more anterior cingulate cortex activity. We provide pilot data that patients whose pain responds to DBS may have a different fMRI signature than those who do not, and PR and PNR cohorts produced different brain responses when DBS is employed.
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Currently, little is known about the clinical relevance of tumor-stroma ratio (TSR) in chordoma and data discussing the relationship between TSR and immune status of chordoma are lacking. ⋯ These data reveal the significant impact of TSR on tumor progression and immunological response of patients. Subsequent use of agents targeting the stroma compartment may be an effective strategy to treat chordoma especially in combination with immune-based drugs.
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In an era of escalating drug discovery costs, shifting priorities within the pharmaceutical industry, and longstanding challenges in central nervous system drug delivery, surgical trials offer an avenue to identify promising agents with demonstrable tumor penetration and molecular effects. The rise of pharmacodynamic- and pharmacokinetic-driven clinical trials, including phase 0 study designs, creates an opportunity for the neurosurgical oncologist to engage drug development for brain tumor patients directly. Here, we review the phase 0 clinical trial mechanism as well as its current and future applications within neurosurgical oncology.