AFIG study

Background of the study

Gliomas are the most common primary brain tumors. They arise from the glial tissue of the central nervous system and are classified and graded according to the criteria as defined by the World Health Organization. Low-grade gliomas (LGG) have an average incidence of 1 per 100.000 persons per year. The peak incidence is in the young-adult age range, between 30 and 40 years old. The survival of patients with LGG has increased in recent decades, because of the development of new and improved treatment options including neurosurgical procedures, radiotherapeutic and chemotherapeutic interventions. Survival rates currently range between five and fifteen years. Due to increased life expectancy, new challenges in this patient group arise with respect to daily functioning and social participation. Patients with LGG report various symptoms due to their disease and/or treatment, such as fatigue, cognitive impairment, and mood problems. These complaints may interfere with the level of functioning and social participation both in the short and long term. Fatigue is the symptom with the greatest impact on quality of life and daily functioning of patients and their relatives. There is a lack of understanding regarding the problems of cancer-related fatigue, which makes it difficult to achieve adequate treatment. This research aims to obtain a better understanding of the physical, cognitive, and psychosocial factors associated with fatigue in patients with LGG.

Project description

LGG survivors, who were treated in the neuro-oncology department of Erasmus MC, were invited to take part in a cross-sectional study.

Participants underwent a neuropsychological assessment, a physical exercise test, activity monitoring during a week, a blood test, and a set of standardized questionnaires. Primary outcome was multi-dimensional fatigue, including domains of mental and physical fatigue, and secondary outcomes included health-related quality of life, anxiety and depression, and employment status. The data are currently being analysed and will be published in due time. This project was partly funded by the Coolsingel Foundation.