title: Management of brain tumor-related epilepsy.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan, USA.
authors.forename: Neil V
authors.initials: NV
authors.lastname: Klinger
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Wayne State University School of Medicine; Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, Detroit Medical Center and Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, USA.
authors.forename: Aashit K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Shah
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery; Oncology, Wayne State University School of Medicine; Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, Detroit Medical Center and Wayne State University; Multidisciplinary Neuro-Oncology Program, Karmanos Cancer Institute, Detroit, Michigan, USA.
authors.forename: Sandeep
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mittal
mesh_terms: D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000188:drug therapy; D012640:Seizures / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants