Review: Molecular characteristics of long-term epilepsy-associated tumours (LEATs) and mechanisms for tumour-related epilepsy (TRE)

Brain tumours are the second most common cause of seizures identified in epilepsy surgical series. While any tumour involving the brain has the potential to cause seizures, specific subtypes are more frequently associated with epilepsy. Tumour-related epilepsy (TRE) has a profound impact on patients with brain tumours and these seizures are often refractory to anti-epileptic treatments, resulting in long-term disability and patient morbidity. Despite the drastic impact of epilepsy-associated tumours on patients, they have not traditionally enjoyed as much attention as more malignant neoplasms. However, recently a number of developments have been achieved towards further understanding of the molecular and developmental backgrounds of specific epilepsy-associated tumours. In addition, the past decade has seen an expansion in the literature on the pathophysiology of TRE. In this review, we aim to summarize the mechanisms by which tumours may cause seizures and detail recent data regarding the pathogenesis of specific developmental epilepsy-associated tumours.