Neuroscience
The front page of yesterday’s Philadelphia Inquirer Health section reports that, while preparing to remove a malignant tumor from the Rev. Michael Prewitt's brain, neurosurgeon Steven Brem, MD, of the University of Pennsylvania worried that the surgery could affect his patient's ability to speak or move.
He studied an MRI that showed the tumor in Prewitt's left parietal lobe. But he also examined a new type of scan: diffusion tensor imaging. For surgeons like Dr. Brem, professor of Neurosurgery and director of Neurosurgical Oncology at Penn Medicine, the new technology is like going from knowing only where a city's major buildings and parking lots are to seeing the network of roads that connect them.
"That's huge," Dr. Brem said. "That is a groundbreaking paradigm shift."
Though some experts say there was no proof the scans improved surgical outcomes, Dr. Brem found some evidence it does when he helped write a review of the science for the journal Neurosurgical Focus last month.
A 2007 study from Shanghai found the median survival for patients with gliomas, a category of brain tumors that includes the type Prewitt has, was 21 months for patients whose surgeons had seen DTIs before the operation compared to 14 months for other patients. The work is done in partnership with Penn Radiology.
Read the full story at the Philadelphia Inquirer.
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Neuroscience
A Better Road Map for Neurosurgeons
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| Steven Brem, MD |
He studied an MRI that showed the tumor in Prewitt's left parietal lobe. But he also examined a new type of scan: diffusion tensor imaging. For surgeons like Dr. Brem, professor of Neurosurgery and director of Neurosurgical Oncology at Penn Medicine, the new technology is like going from knowing only where a city's major buildings and parking lots are to seeing the network of roads that connect them.
"That's huge," Dr. Brem said. "That is a groundbreaking paradigm shift."
Though some experts say there was no proof the scans improved surgical outcomes, Dr. Brem found some evidence it does when he helped write a review of the science for the journal Neurosurgical Focus last month.
A 2007 study from Shanghai found the median survival for patients with gliomas, a category of brain tumors that includes the type Prewitt has, was 21 months for patients whose surgeons had seen DTIs before the operation compared to 14 months for other patients. The work is done in partnership with Penn Radiology.
Read the full story at the Philadelphia Inquirer.
- Brain Tumor Symposium: Bridging Precision Science And Personalized Medicine
Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center and Brain Tumor Center are pleased to host the Penn Oncology Neurosurgery Symposium. Full program overviewWhen:Friday, June 6, 2014 Where:Smilow Center for Translational Research Perelman School of Medicine at...
- Penn Neurosurgery Creates Precise Tumor Classifier For Glioblastoma
A newly developed, more specific approach to classifying tumors by molecular type can help cancer researchers to determine tumor characteristics and guide treatment strategies. Donald O'Rourke, MD A team of researchers from the Perelman School of...
- Dr. Brem Discusses If There Is Link Among Phillies Brain Cancer Cases
Steven Brem, MDSteven Brem, MD, professor of Neurosurgery and director of Neurosurgical Oncology, is quoted in an NBC10 segment discussing the case of several Phillies players who have had brain cancer, including, most recently, Darren Daulton, who was...
- Improving Treatment For Brain Cancer Patients
Steven Brem, MDThe American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) features an interview with Steven Brem, MD in its June issue of The ASCO POST. Dr. Brem, Co-Director of the Penn Brain Tumor Center and Professor of Neurosurgery, talks about the current...
- Steven Brem, Md Receives American Brain Tumor Association Award
Steven Brem, MD, Professor of Neurosurgery, Chief of the Division of Neurosurgical Oncology and Co-Director of the Penn Brain Tumor Center, has received the first Joel A. Gingras, Jr. award given by the American Brain Tumor Association (ABTA). Dr. Brem...