RTID-10. SURGEONS TRIAL OF PROPHYLAXIS FOR EPILEPSY IN SEIZURE NAÏVE PATIENTS WITH MENINGIOMA: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL (STOP ‘EM)

Abstract

Abstract BACKGROUND Meningioma is the commonest primary brain tumour. 70% of patients are seizure-free at presentation, but approximately 12% will have seizures within 12 months of surgery. Seizures impact quality of life. Neurosurgeons administer prophylactic anti-epileptic drugs (AED) to prevent seizures despite a lack of evidence to support this. A meta-analysis of RCTs in brain tumours suggests that older AED may prevent seizures in the first week after surgery but not thereafter. There are no studies assessing newer AEDs in the prophylactic setting. RESEARCH QUESTION In patients with meningioma who have never had a seizure and are undergoing surgical resection, does prophylactic levetiracetam reduce the risk of developing seizures? DESIGN multi-centre, double-blind RCT in 20 UK centres. 1:1 randomisation of 14 days levetiracetam 500mg bd started one day before surgery compared to placebo. PRIMARY OBJECTIVE Determine whether 2 weeks prophylactic levetiracetam reduces the risk of developing seizures within 12 months of surgery compared to placebo. ECONOMIC OBJECTIVE Estimate cost-effectiveness of prophylactic levetiracetam. SECONDARY OBJECTIVES Determine effect of prophylaxis on time to first seizure and first convulsive seizure, whether prophylaxis affects quality of life and influences return to driving, safety of prophylaxis. POPULATION seizure-naïve meningioma undergoing surgery. SAMPLE SIZE seizure rate at 12 months is 12.3%. A 50% reduction is clinically beneficial. A two-group chi-squared test with 5% two-sided significance level will have 90% power to detect the difference between a Group 1 proportion of 0.12 and a Group 2 proportion of 0.06 when the sample size in each group is 477. Allowing for 5% dropout, 1004 patients will be recruited. FUNDING NIHR (£1.64M) award June 2020. Study opens March 2021. TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH MRI, blood and tissue will be collected to explore risk factors for seizures. CONCLUSIONS study will provide class I evidence of the role of prophylactic levetiracetam in meningioma surgery.