Cognitive status and quality of life in patients with suspected versus proven low-grade gliomas

Background: The preferred management of patients with suspected low-grade g liomas (S-LGG) remains controversial. The benefits of resection or radiothe rapy early in the course of the disease have not been proven in terms of su rvival. Little is known about the effects of early therapy on quality of li fe (QOL) and cognitive status. The authors compared functional status, QOL, and cognitive status of patients suspected of having a LGG, in whom treatm ent was deferred, and patients with proven LGC (P-LGG), who underwent early surgery. Methods: The authors recruited 24 patients suspected of having an LGG. These patients were matched with 24 patients with a histologically pr oven LGG and healthy control subjects for educational level, handedness, ag e, and gender. The two patient groups were also matched for tumor lateralit y, use of anticonvulsants, and interval between diagnosis and testing. Func tional status was determined in both patient groups. QOL and cognitive stat us were compared between the three groups. Results: Matching criteria and f unctional status did not differ significantly between groups. Both patient groups scored worse on QOL scales than healthy control subjects. Unoperated patients with S-LGG scored better on most items than patients with P-LGG. Cognitive status was worse in both groups than in healthy control subjects, but, again, patients with S-LGG performed better than patients with P-LGG. Conclusion: These data suggest that a wait-and-see policy in patients with S-LGG has no negative effect on cognitive performance and QOL.