Neurorehabilitation in Neuro-Oncology

This book provides a comprehensive, practical, and timely guide to neurorehabilitation for patients affected by tumors of the central nervous system. These patients encounter various physical and psychosocial impairments, due to sensory-motor, psychological and cognitive limitations, as well as depression, anxiety and fatigue. These common tumor and treatment consequences reduce quality of life and produce long-term limitation in functioning and disability that may benefit from rehabilitative interventions.

In the early stages of the disease, rehabilitation aims at restoring functioning after tumor treatment, while in the advanced stages, rehabilitation becomes an integral part of palliative care, which aims to increase patients’ independence, to prevent complications and to improve quality of life.

Based on an interdisciplinary approach, the book is structured in two main parts. The first is devoted to the basics of cancer and to the main clinical features of the tumors of the nervous system, as well as to the

essentials of therapeutic approaches. The second part is dedicated to rehabilitation issues, providing the tools for health personnel to take in charge persons affected by neuro-oncological disease.

This unique volume is a valuable resource for all health professionals (physicians, psychologists, trainees nurses specialized in neuro-oncology, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech therapists) involved in the interdisciplinary management of individuals affected by tumors of the central nervous system.

“The intended audience is practitioners involved in the multidisciplinary care of brain tumor patients. However, the more likely audience is rehabilitation practitioners who may be interested in expanding their practice to patients with brain tumors. … A main strength of this book is that it distills essential clinical information on brain tumor pathology, physiology, and clinical treatment into a brief and easily understandable book.” (Ishan Roy, Doody's Book Reviews, October 18, 2019)

Michelangelo Bartolo graduated in Medicine and specialized in Neurology at the University “La Sapienza” of Rome, and received his PhD in Pharmacological Sciences at the University of Pavia. From 2004 to 2008 he pursued clinical research at Neurorehabilitation Unit and Laboratory of Nociceptive Psychophysiology at the IRCCS Neurological National Institute Casimiro Mondino Foundation, Pavia. Since 2008 he has conducted clinical research at the IRCCS Mediterranean Neurological Institute NEUROMED (Pozzilli, Isernia) where he was director of the Neurorehabilitation Unit. He is currently director of the Department of Rehabilitation and chief of the Neurorehabilitation Unit at the HABILITA Institute (Zingonia, Bergamo). His research interests focus on neurological rehabilitation, rehabilitation of brain tumors, neurophysiology of the motor system, and extra-pyramidal diseases. Dr. Bartolo is a member of the Italian Society of Neurology (SIN) and Vice-President of the Italian Society of Neurological Rehabilitation (SIRN); he is author of scientific publications in national and international medical journals and chapters in scientific books.

Riccardo Soffietti is Professor of Neurology and Neuro-Oncology at the University of Torino and head of the Department of Neuro-Oncology at the City of Health and Science Hospital, Torino, Italy. He is the past-president of the European Association of Neuro-Oncology (EANO), chairperson of the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) Panel of Neuro-Oncology and of the World Federation of Neurology (WFN). Professor Soffietti is a member of the steering committee of the European Organization for Research of Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Brain Tumor Group and of the International Group Response Assessment in Neuro-Oncology (RANO). Prof. Soffietti has longstanding experience in clinical and translational neuro-oncology. He has published more than 100 original papers in respected scientific journals, and many chapters in international books. Since 2015, Prof. Soffietti has been executive editor of Neuro-Oncology (OUP). He received the Award for Excellence in Clinical Research from the Society for Neuro-Oncology  (US) in 2009.

Martin Klein is professor in medical neuropsychology at Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Dept. of Medical Psychology. His research, in close cooperation with the departments of neurology, neurosurgery, and radiation oncology, initially focused on determining neurocognitive functioning and health-related quality of life of patients with brain tumors. Currently research aims at determining the brain mechanisms underlying frequent symptoms (e.g., neurocognitive deficits, epilepsy, fatigue, depression), the prevention of treatment effects on neurocognitive functioning, and on behavioral or pharmaceutical symptom treatment in primary and metastatic brain tumor patients and in oncological patients undergoing neurotoxic treatments affecting brain functioning. Dr. Klein received the Tim & Tom Gullikson Foundation and Society for Neuro-Oncology Award for Excellence in Quality of Life Research in 2001, the National Brain Tumor Foundation/Tug MgGraw Foundation Caregiver Research Award in 2008, and the Award for Excellence of Applied Neuro-Oncology in 2017.