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Cognition in patients with newly diagnosed brain metastasis: profiles and implications

  • Clinical Study
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Abstract

Cognitive impairment is a common symptom in patients with brain metastasis, and significant cognitive dysfunction is prevalent in a majority of patients who are still able to engage in basic self-care activities. In the current study, the neurocognitive performance of 32 patients with brain metastasis and 32 demographically-matched controls was examined using a battery of standardized neuropsychological tests, with the goal of comprehensively examining the cognitive functioning of newly diagnosed brain metastasis patients. The cognition of all patients was assessed within 1 week of beginning treatment for brain metastasis. Results indicated impairments in verbal memory, attention, executive functioning, and language in relation to healthy controls. Performance in relation to appropriate normative groups was also examined. Overall, cognitive deficits were prevalent and memory was the most common impairment. Given that cognitive dysfunction was present in this cohort of patients with largely minimal functional impairment, these results have implications for patients, caregivers and health care providers treating patients with brain metastasis.

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Acknowledgments

Foremost, we thank the patients who participated in this study and their families. The authors also thank the following technicians for their data collection and entry: Kathleen Lowry, Angel Simmons, and Amanda Eakin. Finally, the authors thank the UAB research staff and the Radiation Oncology Residents for their assistance with recruitment and data collection. This research was supported by a NIH/NCATS (KL2 TR000166; Triebel) and by funds from the UAB Department of Neurology.

Conflict of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, UAB, Birmingham, AL, USA

    Adam Gerstenecker

  2. Department of Neurology, University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), Sparks Center 650, 1720 7th Avenue South, Birmingham, AL, 35294-0017, USA

    Louis B. Nabors, Daniel C. Marson, Roy C. Martin & Kristen L. Triebel

  3. Comprehensive Cancer Center, UAB, Birmingham, AL, USA

    Louis B. Nabors, Karen Meneses, John B. Fiveash & Kristen L. Triebel

  4. Department of Radiation Oncology, UAB, Birmingham, AL, USA

    John B. Fiveash

  5. Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, UAB, Birmingham, AL, USA

    Gary Cutter

  6. Department of Neuro-Oncology, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA

    Christina A. Meyers

Authors
  1. Adam Gerstenecker
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  2. Louis B. Nabors
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  3. Karen Meneses
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  4. John B. Fiveash
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  5. Daniel C. Marson
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  6. Gary Cutter
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  7. Roy C. Martin
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  8. Christina A. Meyers
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  9. Kristen L. Triebel
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kristen L. Triebel.

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Gerstenecker, A., Nabors, L.B., Meneses, K. et al. Cognition in patients with newly diagnosed brain metastasis: profiles and implications. J Neurooncol 120, 179–185 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11060-014-1543-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11060-014-1543-x

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