Skip to main content

REVIEW article

Front. Neurol.
Sec. Neurorehabilitation
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fneur.2024.1480900

Brain Tumor-Related Epilepsy: An Overview on Neuropsychological, Behavioral, and Quality of Life Issues and Assessment Methodology

Provisionally accepted
  • 1 Center for tumour-related epilepsy – Neuroncology Unit, IRCCS Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Sicily, Italy
  • 2 Freelance Medical Writer, Pavia, Italy

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Brain tumor-related epilepsy (BTRE) is a rare disease in which brain tumor (BT) and epilepsy overlap simultaneously and can have a negative impact on a patient's neuropsychological, behavioral, and quality of life (QoL) spheres.In this review we (a) addressed the main neuropsychological, behavioral, and QoL issues that may occur in BTRE patients, (b) described how BT, BTRE, and their respective treatments can impact these domains, and (c) identified tools and standardized evaluation methodologies specific for BTRE patients.Neuropsychological disorders and behavioral issues can be direct consequences of BTRE and all related treatments, such as surgery, anti-cancer and anti-seizure medication, corticosteroids, etc., which can alter the structure of specific brain areas and networks, and by emotional aspects reactive to BTRE diagnosis, including the possible loss of autonomy, poor prognosis, and fear of death. Unfortunately, it seems there is a lack of uniformity in assessment methodologies, such as the administration of different batteries of neuropsychological tests, different times, frames, and purposes. Further research is needed to establish causality and deepen our understanding of the interplay between all these variables and our intervention in terms of diagnosis, treatment, psychosocial assessment, and their timing.We propose that the care of these patients to rely on the concepts of "BTRE-induced disability" and "biopsychosocial model" of BTRE, to prompt healthcare providers to handle and monitor BTRErelated psychological and social aspects, as to maintain the patient's best possible QoL.

    Keywords: Brain tumor-related epilepsy, Behavioral alteration, treatment-induced side effects, standardized assessment, Quality of Life, neuropsycholgocial tests, behavioral assessement, Anti-seizure medication (ASM)

    Received: 14 Aug 2024; Accepted: 25 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Maschio, Perversi and Maialetti. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Marta Maschio, Center for tumour-related epilepsy – Neuroncology Unit, IRCCS Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Sicily, Italy

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.