The level of reporting of neurocognitive outcomes in randomised controlled trials of brain tumour patients: A systematic review

Baseline neurocognitive dysfunction is ubiquitous in intrinsic brain tumors– results from a large Indian cohort of patients and analysis of factors associated with domain-specific dysfunction

“…Similarly, higher levels of subtle dysfunction have also been reported by other studies. 2 , 3 , 5 , 19 , 20 Many studies using NPA batteries with normative scores use a cutoff of z scores less than two standard deviations (SD) as severe dysfunction. The definition of mild or moderate deficits is more ambiguous.…”

“… 2 , 3 , 4 This has been used in the context of clinical trials and has shown to correlate with progression and survival. 5 , 6 More importantly, NPA can unearth covert deficits and provide an accurate estimate of the burden of symptoms for patients and caregivers. It also allows clinicians to assess the impact of therapies and tailor rehabilitative efforts (physiological, orthoptic, language and cognitive).…”

Cognitive impact of lower-grade gliomas and strategies for rehabilitation

“…The efficacy and generalizability of cognitive rehabilitation strategies are also confounded by variability in test batteries and assessment intervals, lack of control groups, and limited data from randomized trials. 111 These limitations complicate our ability to develop a consensus regarding the cognitive needs and related treatments for brain tumor patients, and optimizing timing for intervention. 111 Recently published guidelines for standardizing neuropsychological endpoints across cancer, 112 including neuro-oncology, 113 highlight the importance of addressing these issues and provide foundational work for investigating cognitive rehabilitation approaches in LrGG.…”

“…111 These limitations complicate our ability to develop a consensus regarding the cognitive needs and related treatments for brain tumor patients, and optimizing timing for intervention. 111 Recently published guidelines for standardizing neuropsychological endpoints across cancer, 112 including neuro-oncology, 113 highlight the importance of addressing these issues and provide foundational work for investigating cognitive rehabilitation approaches in LrGG. Establishing more prospective data to optimize cognitive rehabilitation strategies and the timing of intervention (including strategies for network-based impairments) aligns with the increasing focus on cancer survivorship (including the development of survivorship care plans in neuro-oncology).…”

Molecularly determining cognition in glioma: New insights as the plot thickens

“…Unfortunately, longitudinal cognitive assessments in patients with glioma are not standard of care in the United States, and patient attrition and heterogeneity in testing batteries, timing of assessments, and tumor diagnoses and treatments hinder our ability to generalize study results. 8,9 To truly understand molecular determinants of cognition, we need longitudinal data.…”