Electrocorticography in Mapping Functional Brain Areas During Surgery in Patients With Brain Tumors

Launched by M.D. ANDERSON CANCER CENTER · Apr 25, 2016

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is investigating a method called electrocorticography (ECoG) to help doctors identify important areas of the brain during surgery for patients with brain tumors. By using a special grid that is larger and more detailed than what is usually used, the goal is to pinpoint the brain regions responsible for movement and speech. This could help surgeons avoid damaging these critical areas while removing the tumor, which is especially important for ensuring the patient’s quality of life after surgery.

To participate in this study, patients need to be at least 18 years old and scheduled for surgery to remove a brain tumor at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. Eligible patients should have tumors located near areas of the brain that control movement or speech. Those with significant motor or speech difficulties that would prevent them from participating in certain tasks during surgery may not be eligible. If you join the trial, you can expect to have your brain mapped while you are awake, allowing doctors to see which areas are active during movements or speech, ultimately aiming for a safer surgery and better outcomes.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Patients undergoing a tumor resection at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center for a newly diagnosed as well as recurrent primary or metastatic brain tumor located in or adjacent to motor and/or speech brain areas
• • Patients \>= 18 years of age
• • Signed informed consent
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Patients with significant neurological motor deficits of the upper extremities, and/or speech deficits, which would preclude them from performing the while awake intra-operative tasks at the discretion of the principal investigator (PI)
• • Patients who have impaired vision and/or hearing and whose performance could affect the study will be excluded at the discretion of the PI