Factors associated with prognosis of dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumors patients after surgical resection: a retrospective observational study

Objective To explore factors that might be associated with prognosis of dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumors (DNTs). Methods DNTs patients who were admitted to the Department of Neurosurgery of Xiangya Hospital between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2018 and underwent surgical resection were retrospectively analyzed. Clinical, neuroimaging, and pathological features of DNTs were compared among patients with different outcomes and analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier curves and univariable Cox regression analysis. Results Thirty-three DNTs patients were included finally, of which the average age at seizure onset was 11.59 +/- 7.46 years old and the average duration of seizures prior to surgical resection was 3.00 +/- 4.68 years. After surgical resection, the patients were followed up for 2.39 +/- 1.97 years, and 28 patients (84.85%) were seizure-free (class I of the Engel Outcome Scale) while five patients (15.15%) were seizure-continuous (class II or III of the Engel Outcome Scale). When compared with seizure-free patients, seizure-continuous patients had greater age at seizure onset and longer duration of seizures before surgical resection (p < .05). No variables were found to be statistically significantly associated with prognosis in univariable Cox regression analysis, but patients with extra-temporal DNTs were found to have better prognosis than those with temporal DNTs (log-rank test p = .048). Conclusions Elder seizure onset age, longer duration of seizures prior to surgical resection, and a temporal location may be risk factors of poor prognosis for DNTs patients after surgical resection.