Preoperative subjective impairments in language and memory in brain tumor patients

BackgroundSubjective reports can reveal relevant information regarding the nature of the impairment of brain tumor patients, unveiling potential gaps in current assessment practices. The co-occurrence of language and memory impairments has been previously reported, albeit scarcely. The aim of this s...

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Main Authors: Lena Rybka, Roel Jonkers, Milena Burzlaff, Tizian Rosenstock, Peter Vajkoczy, Thomas Picht, Katharina Faust, Adrià Rofes
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2024-10-01
Series:Frontiers in Oncology
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fonc.2024.1475860/full
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author Lena Rybka
Lena Rybka
Lena Rybka
Roel Jonkers
Roel Jonkers
Milena Burzlaff
Milena Burzlaff
Tizian Rosenstock
Tizian Rosenstock
Peter Vajkoczy
Thomas Picht
Thomas Picht
Katharina Faust
Adrià Rofes
Adrià Rofes
author_facet Lena Rybka
Lena Rybka
Lena Rybka
Roel Jonkers
Roel Jonkers
Milena Burzlaff
Milena Burzlaff
Tizian Rosenstock
Tizian Rosenstock
Peter Vajkoczy
Thomas Picht
Thomas Picht
Katharina Faust
Adrià Rofes
Adrià Rofes
author_sort Lena Rybka
collection DOAJ
description BackgroundSubjective reports can reveal relevant information regarding the nature of the impairment of brain tumor patients, unveiling potential gaps in current assessment practices. The co-occurrence of language and memory impairments has been previously reported, albeit scarcely. The aim of this study is therefore to understand the co-occurrence of subjective language and memory complaints in the preoperative state of brain tumor patients and its impact on Quality of Life (QoL).Methods31 brain tumor patients (12 LGG, 19 HGG) underwent a semi-structured interview to assess subjective complaints of language deficits, co-occurrences between language and memory dysfunction, and changes in QoL. Group and subgroup analyses were conducted to provide general and tumor grade specific data.Results48.4% of patients mentioned co-occurrence of language and memory impairments in reading, writing, and conversation. The HGG group reported co-occurrences in all three of these (reading: 31.6%; writing: 21.1%; conversation: 26.3%), while the LGG only described co-occurrences in reading (25%) and conversation (8.3%), although these were not statistically significant. All patients with co-occurring language and memory deficits reported these to be linked to reduced QoL (48.4%). In patients with an HGG, this number was slightly higher (52.6%) than in patients with an LGG (41.7%).ConclusionLanguage impairments co-occur with memory dysfunction as perceived in patients’ daily life. Patients see these impairments as affecting their quality of life. Further attention to dedicated language and memory tasks seems necessary.
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spelling doaj-art-c6c8679aa4b9478fb247971dd13b772b2025-08-20T02:12:11ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Oncology2234-943X2024-10-011410.3389/fonc.2024.14758601475860Preoperative subjective impairments in language and memory in brain tumor patientsLena Rybka0Lena Rybka1Lena Rybka2Roel Jonkers3Roel Jonkers4Milena Burzlaff5Milena Burzlaff6Tizian Rosenstock7Tizian Rosenstock8Peter Vajkoczy9Thomas Picht10Thomas Picht11Katharina Faust12Adrià Rofes13Adrià Rofes14Center for Language and Cognition, University of Groningen, Groningen, NetherlandsResearch School of Behavioural and Cognitive Neurosciences (BCN), University of Groningen, Groningen, NetherlandsDepartment of Neurosurgery, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, GermanyCenter for Language and Cognition, University of Groningen, Groningen, NetherlandsResearch School of Behavioural and Cognitive Neurosciences (BCN), University of Groningen, Groningen, NetherlandsDepartment of Neurosurgery, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, GermanyBerlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt University, Berlin, GermanyDepartment of Neurosurgery, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, GermanyBerlin Institute of Health at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, BIH Biomedical Innovation Academy, BIH Charité Digital Clinician Scientist Program, Charité, Berlin, GermanyDepartment of Neurosurgery, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, GermanyDepartment of Neurosurgery, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, GermanyCluster of Excellence: “Matters of Activity. Image Space Material”, Humboldt University, Berlin, GermanyDepartment of Neurosurgery, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, GermanyCenter for Language and Cognition, University of Groningen, Groningen, NetherlandsResearch School of Behavioural and Cognitive Neurosciences (BCN), University of Groningen, Groningen, NetherlandsBackgroundSubjective reports can reveal relevant information regarding the nature of the impairment of brain tumor patients, unveiling potential gaps in current assessment practices. The co-occurrence of language and memory impairments has been previously reported, albeit scarcely. The aim of this study is therefore to understand the co-occurrence of subjective language and memory complaints in the preoperative state of brain tumor patients and its impact on Quality of Life (QoL).Methods31 brain tumor patients (12 LGG, 19 HGG) underwent a semi-structured interview to assess subjective complaints of language deficits, co-occurrences between language and memory dysfunction, and changes in QoL. Group and subgroup analyses were conducted to provide general and tumor grade specific data.Results48.4% of patients mentioned co-occurrence of language and memory impairments in reading, writing, and conversation. The HGG group reported co-occurrences in all three of these (reading: 31.6%; writing: 21.1%; conversation: 26.3%), while the LGG only described co-occurrences in reading (25%) and conversation (8.3%), although these were not statistically significant. All patients with co-occurring language and memory deficits reported these to be linked to reduced QoL (48.4%). In patients with an HGG, this number was slightly higher (52.6%) than in patients with an LGG (41.7%).ConclusionLanguage impairments co-occur with memory dysfunction as perceived in patients’ daily life. Patients see these impairments as affecting their quality of life. Further attention to dedicated language and memory tasks seems necessary.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fonc.2024.1475860/fullbrain tumorlanguagememorysubjective deficitsquality of life
spellingShingle Lena Rybka
Lena Rybka
Lena Rybka
Roel Jonkers
Roel Jonkers
Milena Burzlaff
Milena Burzlaff
Tizian Rosenstock
Tizian Rosenstock
Peter Vajkoczy
Thomas Picht
Thomas Picht
Katharina Faust
Adrià Rofes
Adrià Rofes
Preoperative subjective impairments in language and memory in brain tumor patients
Frontiers in Oncology
brain tumor
language
memory
subjective deficits
quality of life
title Preoperative subjective impairments in language and memory in brain tumor patients
title_full Preoperative subjective impairments in language and memory in brain tumor patients
title_fullStr Preoperative subjective impairments in language and memory in brain tumor patients
title_full_unstemmed Preoperative subjective impairments in language and memory in brain tumor patients
title_short Preoperative subjective impairments in language and memory in brain tumor patients
title_sort preoperative subjective impairments in language and memory in brain tumor patients
topic brain tumor
language
memory
subjective deficits
quality of life
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fonc.2024.1475860/full
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