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Analysis of Cognitive Dysfunction in Patients with Low-Grade Glioma

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Abstract

All living adults with histopatologically proven diagnosis of low-grade glioma in a Swedish county were identified with help of the Regional Cancer Register, half of them (n = 24) participated in a neuropsychological evaluation. A considerable variation was found in cognitive function within this group of patients, ranging from good ability to severe disturbance. Different patterns of cognitive dysfunction emerged resulting in three subgroups; patients with severe, mild, and minimal selective dysfunction. The patients with severe disturbance had a global dysfunction covering most assessed cognitive domains. Slow information-processing speed was obvious in the subgroups with both severe and mild dysfunction. Cognitive problems present in the best performing group seemed related to tumor localization. Cognitive function in the whole sample was related to histopathological diagnosis of the tumor, as well as to educational level of the patients. The nonworking patients had significantly poorer performance than the working patients.

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Correspondence to Lena Ek.

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Ek, L., Smits, A., Påhlson, A. et al. Analysis of Cognitive Dysfunction in Patients with Low-Grade Glioma. J Clin Psychol Med Settings 12, 165–173 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10880-005-3276-7

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