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The Early Effects of Radiotherapy on
Intellectual and Cognitive Functioning in Patients with Frontal Brain Tumours:
The Use of a New Neuropsychological Methodology
Angela Costello, Tim Shallice, Richard Gullan, Ron
Beaney
Department
of Neuropsychology, King's Neuroscience Centre, King's College Hospital, London,
UK (A.C.);
Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College
London, London, UK, &
SISSA, Trieste, Italy (T.S.); Department of Neurosurgery, King's College Hospital (R.G.);
Department of Clinical Oncology, St Thomas Hospital,
London, UK (R.B.)
Investigations of the effects of radiation on neuropsychological
functions have revealed variable outcomes, ranging from no effect to severe
cognitive impairment.
However, many of the previous studies have relied on retrospective data or have
been limited by methodological problems.
In this study, prospective neuropsychological assessments were compared at
baseline (after surgery and before radiotherapy) and within 4 months of
completion of radiotherapy (except one case), to examine early-delayed effects
of radiation on intellectual and cognitive functioning.
Sixteen adult patients with either low- or high-grade brain tumours, 15 of whom
were treated with radiotherapy, were compared with 8 control participants with
nonmalignant brain tumours whom did not undergo radiotherapy.
All participants had lesions situated mainly in the frontal lobes.
All groups of patients had evidence of intellectual and cognitive impairment at
baseline.
The low- and high-grade brain tumour groups showed a differential pattern of
performance following radiotherapy, with the low-grade tumour group's
performance being more competent on all of the five main neuropsychological
measures.
Their pattern of improvement was very similar to that of the nonmalignant brain
tumour group who had not undergone radiotherapy.
The present study provides some preliminary information about the
neuropsychological deficits associated with primary brain tumours, their
severity, and the relationship between neuropsychological functioning and brain
tumours and radiotherapy.
Keywords: brain tumour, cognitive impairment, radiotherapy
Copyright
©
2004 Kluwer Academic Publishers.
All rights reserved
Source: http://journals.kluweronline.com/article.asp?PIPS=5267134
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