Cognitive outcomes in meningioma patients undergoing surgery: individual changes over time and predictors of late cognitive functioning

Background Meningioma patients are known to face cognitive deficits before and after surgery. We examined individual changes in cognitive performance over time and identified preoperative predictors of cognitive functioning 12 months after surgery in a large sample of meningioma patients. Methods Patients underwent neuropsychological assessment (NPA) using CNS Vital Signs 1 day before (T0), and 3 (T3) and 12 (T12) months after surgery. Patients’ sociodemographically-corrected scores on 7 cognitive domains were compared to performance of a normative sample using one-sample z tests and Chi-square tests of independence. Reliable change indices with correction for practice effects were calculated for individual patients. Linear mixed effects models were used to identify preoperative predictors of performance at T12. Results At T0, 261 patients were assessed, and 229 and 82 patients were retested at T3 and T12, respectively. Patients showed impaired cognitive performance before and after surgery, and although performance improved on the group-level, cognitive scores remained significantly lower than in the normative sample up to T12. On the individual level, performance remained stable in the majority of patients. Better preoperative performance, younger age, male sex, and higher educational level predicted better late cognitive performance. Conclusions Meningioma patients face serious and persistent pre- and postsurgical cognitive deficits. A preoperative NPA together with sociodemographic characteristics may provide valuable information on the late cognitive outcome of individual meningioma patients. These results can help to inform patients and clinicians on late cognitive outcomes at an early stage, and emphasizes the importance of presurgical NPA and timely cognitive rehabilitation.