Frontiers in Neurology (Nov 2021)

Added Value of Cognition in the Prediction of Survival in Low and High Grade Glioma

  • Emma van Kessel,
  • Ewoud Schuit,
  • Irene M. C. Huenges Wajer,
  • Irene M. C. Huenges Wajer,
  • Carla Ruis,
  • Carla Ruis,
  • Filip Y. F. L. De Vos,
  • Joost J. C. Verhoeff,
  • Tatjana Seute,
  • Martine J. E. van Zandvoort,
  • Martine J. E. van Zandvoort,
  • Pierre A. Robe,
  • Tom J. Snijders

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2021.773908
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 12

Abstract

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Background: Diffuse gliomas, which are at WHO grade II-IV, are progressive primary brain tumors with great variability in prognosis. Our aim was to investigate whether pre-operative cognitive functioning is of added value in survival prediction in these patients.Methods: In a retrospective cohort study of patients undergoing awake craniotomy between 2010 and 2019 we performed pre-operative neuropsychological assessments in five cognitive domains. Their added prognostic value on top of known prognostic factors was assessed in two patient groups [low- (LGG) and high-grade gliomas (HGG]). We compared Cox proportional hazards regression models with and without the cognitive domain by means of loglikelihood ratios tests (LRT), discriminative performance measures (by AUC), and risk classification [by Integrated Discrimination Index (IDI)].Results: We included 109 LGG and 145 HGG patients with a median survival time of 1,490 and 511 days, respectively. The domain memory had a significant added prognostic value in HGG as indicated by an LRT (p-value = 0.018). The cumulative AUC for HGG with memory included was.78 (SD = 0.017) and without cognition 0.77 (SD = 0.018), IDI was 0.043 (0.000–0.102). In LGG none of the cognitive domains added prognostic value.Conclusions: Our findings indicated that memory deficits, which were revealed with the neuropsychological examination, were of additional prognostic value in HGG to other well-known predictors of survival.

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