Cognitive Impairment After Radiation Therapy for Low-Grade Glioma

The optimal treatment approach for patients with low-grade glioma is unknown. Although radiotherapy at the time of diagnosis prolongs progression-free survival (Lancet 2005; 366:985), concerns remain about the impact of radiation on cognition in long-term survivors. This retrospective analysis, sponsored by a manufacturer of chemotherapeutic agents, is a longer-term follow-up to a previously reported, retrospective assessment of radiotherapy's effect on cognition in 195 patients with low-grade glioma. Standard radiotherapy was not associated with cognitive impairment at a mean 6 years of follow-up (Lancet 2002; 360:1361). For the current study, the authors analyzed a subset of 65 patients from the same cohort who were alive, free of tumor p…