A Frailty-Adjusted Stratification Score to Predict Surgical Risk, Post-Operative, Long-Term Functional Outcome, and Quality of Life after Surgery in Intracranial Meningiomas

Simple Summary Meningiomas are the most common primary brain tumour and their prevalence increases in the ageing population. Among researchers, predicting surgical outcomes, complications, and quality of life (QoL) after surgery still represents a major subject of debate. The aim of the study hereby presented was to review well known and potential new prognostic factors affecting the early and long-term functional outcomes and quality of life of patients treated for intracranial meningiomas. Our findings might help define tailored surgical and perioperative protocols to maximise the standard of care, relying on a patient-specific multi-domain surgical, biometric, and clinical assessment to be conducted during the pre-operative medical interview. This approach might be beneficial for reducing complications occurrence, predicting surgical and functional outcomes, counselling patients and caregivers on surgical indications, reducing legal issues, and providing a valuable tool to healthcare providers for resources allocation. Object: To investigate those parameters affecting early and follow-up functional outcomes in patients undergoing resection of meningiomas and to design a dedicated predictive score, the Milan Bio(metric)-Surgical Score (MBSS) is hereby presented. Methods: Patients undergoing transcranial surgery for intracranial meningiomas were included. The most significant parameters in the regression analyses were implemented in a patient stratification score and were validated by testing its classification consistency with a clinical-radiological grading scale (CRGS), Milan complexity scale (MCS), and Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) scores. Results: The ASA score, Frailty index, skull base and posterior cranial fossa locations, a diameter of >25 mm, and the absence of a brain-tumour interface were predictive of early post-operative deterioration and were collected in MBSS Part A (AUC: 0.965; 95%C.I. 0.890-1.022), while the frailty index, posterior cranial fossa location, a diameter of >25 mm, a edema/tumour volume index of >2, dural sinus invasion, DWI hyperintensity, and the absence of a brain-tumour interface were predictive of a long-term unfavourable outcome and were collected in MBSS Part B (AUC: 0.877; 95%C.I. 0.811-0.942). The score was consistent with CRGS, MCS, and CCI. Conclusion: Patients' multi-domain evaluation and the implementation of frailty indexes might help predict the perioperative complexity of cases; the functional, clinical, and neurological early outcomes; survival; and overall QoL after surgery.