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Key Points: Question: What is the effect among patients with small- or medium-sized vestibular schwannoma of upfront radiosurgery on tumor volume at 4 years vs a wait-and-scan approach with treatment given only when tumor growth was documented radiographically? Findings: In this randomized clinical trial that included 100 patients, the mean ratio between tumor volume at the trial end and baseline (V4:V0) was 0.87 in the upfront radiosurgery group and 1.51 in the wait-and-scan group, a significant difference. Meaning: Among patients with small or medium vestibular schwannoma, a treatment strategy consisting of upfront radiosurgery was more effective at reducing tumor volume at 4 years than was the initial wait-and-scan approach. Importance: Current guidelines for treating small- to medium-sized vestibular schwannoma recommend either upfront radiosurgery or waiting to treat until tumor growth has been detected radiographically. Objective: To determine whether upfront radiosurgery provides superior tumor volume reduction to a wait-and-scan approach for small- to medium-sized vestibular schwannoma. Design, Setting, and Participants: Randomized clinical trial of 100 patients with a newly diagnosed (<6 months) unilateral vestibular schwannoma and a maximal tumor diameter of less than 2 cm in the cerebellopontine angle as measured on magnetic resonance imaging. Participants were enrolled at the Norwegian National Unit for Vestibular Schwannoma from October 28, 2014, through October 3, 2017; 4-year follow-up ended on October 20, 2021. Interventions: Participants were randomized to receive either upfront radiosurgery (n = 50) or to undergo a wait-and-scan protocol, for which treatment was given only upon radiographically documented tumor growth (n = 50). Participants underwent 5 annual study visits consisting of clinical assessment, radiological examination, audiovestibular tests, and questionnaires. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was the ratio between tumor volume at the trial end at 4 years and baseline (V4:V0). There were 26 prespecified secondary outcomes, including patient-reported symptoms, clinical examinations, audiovestibular tests, and quality-of-life outcomes. Safety outcomes were the risk of salvage microsurgery and radiation-associated complications. Results: Of the 100 randomized patients, 98 completed the trial and were included in the primary analysis (mean age, 54 years; 42% female). In the upfront radiosurgery group, 1 participant (2%) received repeated radiosurgery upon tumor growth, 2 (4%) needed salvage microsurgery, and 45 (94%) had no additional treatment. In the wait-and-scan group, 21 patients (42%) received radiosurgery upon tumor growth, 1 (2%) underwent salvage microsurgery, and 28 (56%) remained untreated. For the primary outcome of the ratio of tumor volume at the trial end to baseline, the geometric mean V4:V0 was 0.87 (95% CI, 0.66-1.15) in the upfront radiosurgery group and 1.51 (95% CI, 1.23-1.84) in the wait-and-scan group, showing a significantly greater tumor volume reduction in patients treated with upfront radiosurgery (wait-and-scan to upfront radiosurgery ratio, 1.73; 95% CI, 1.23-2.44; P =.002). Of 26 secondary outcomes, 25 showed no significant difference. No radiation-associated complications were observed. Conclusion and relevance: Among patients with newly diagnosed small- and medium-sized vestibular schwannoma, upfront radiosurgery demonstrated a significantly greater tumor volume reduction at 4 years than a wait-and-scan approach with treatment upon tumor growth. These findings may help inform treatment decisions for patients with vestibular schwannoma, and further investigation of long-term clinical outcomes is needed. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02249572 This randomized clinical trial evaluates whether upfront radiosurgery is more effective in reducing vestibular schwannoma tumor size than treatment delivered only when tumor growth has been detected radiographically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background To report the clinical course of PML in an apparently immunocompetent patient treated with cidofovir. Case Presentation A 35-year-old immunocompetent man who developed progressive hemianopsia, aphasia, and limb weakness underwent repeated MRI scans of the brain, spinal fluid analyses, and brain biopsy. Before diagnosis was established based on brain biopsy, he was consecutively treated with methylprednisolone, acyclovir, ceftriaxone and plasmapheresis, but he deteriorated rapidly suggestive of the immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS). He started to recover two weeks after the initiation of treatment with cidofovir and has had no relapse at 3 1/2 years of follow-up. MRI has shown marked improvement. Conclusions PML should be considered in immunocompetent patients with a typical clinical course and MRI findings compatible with PML. Treatment with cidofovir should be considered as early as possible in the disease course.

Objective: The COVID‐19 pandemic has led to rapid changes in the delivery of medical care worldwide. The main objective of this survey was to investigate the initial experiences of neurologists with the use of telemedicine for different neurological conditions during the first phase of the COVID‐19. Methods: All hospital‐based neurologists in Norway (n = 400) were invited to a questionnaire survey by e‐mail in April 2020. The study focused on telemedicine and all questions were answered with regard to the first weeks of the pandemic lockdown in Norway. Results: One‐hundred and thirty‐five neurologists responded. Overall, 87% reported a shift toward more telemedicine, with significantly more use of telephone than video consultations for both new referrals (54% vs. 30%, P < 0.001) and follow‐ups (99% vs. 50%, P < 0.001). Respondents deemed it much more professionally satisfactory to conduct follow‐up consultations by telephone, than to carry out consultations with new patients by telephone (85% vs. 13%, P < 0.001). Teleconsultations were better suited for headache and epilepsy patients as compared to multiple sclerosis and movement disorder patients. There was no significant difference between residents and senior consultants regarding how they experienced teleconsultations. Female neurologists found telemedicine better and more effective than male neurologists. Interpretation: Telemedicine was rapidly implemented in Norwegian neurological departments during the first weeks of the COVID‐19 pandemic. Teleconsultations were better suited for follow‐ups than for new referrals, and better for headache and epilepsy patients as compared to multiple sclerosis and movement disorder patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Coercion is rare in cancer treatment. We present a case where a young woman received gamma knife radiosurgery and immunochemotherapy under compulsory institutional care., Case Presentation: A previously healthy patient in her thirties was admitted to hospital due to confusion, apathy, weight loss and sleep disturbance. She had difficulties expressing herself and spoke with considerable latency. A brain MRI revealed a tumour of 23 mm in the left-side centrum semiovale and perifocal oedema, while a CT scan showed a 5.6 cm tumour in the right upper lobe and enlarged mediastinal lymph nodes. She was diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer, no actionable mutations, PD-L1 <75 %. When she did not wish to return to the hospital to undergo gamma knife radiosurgery, she was readmitted under a formal decision to use coercion, and remained under institutional care for over six months. Today she is fully recovered and has no cancer progression almost five years after diagnosis., Interpretation: This case report illustrates the challenges of brain metastases and use of coercion during cancer treatment, both for the patient and healthcare personnel. There is a need for thorough interdisciplinary discussions and to establish as early as possible a shared understanding of the intention and scope of the forced treatment.