Cognitive features and surgical outcome of patients with long-term epilepsy-associated tumors (LEATs) within the temporal lobe.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to evaluate cognitive and epilepsy-related features in 166 surgically treated patients with epilepsy with long-term epilepsy-associated tumors (LEATs) located in the temporal lobe.

METHOD: Pre- and postsurgical cognitive as well as the one-year seizure outcome of adult patients with histopathologically confirmed LEATs (28 grade-I dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumors (DNET), 95 grade-I gangliogliomas (GG), 24 grade-I pilocytic astrocytomas (PA), 9 grade-II pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma (PXA), 10 grade-II diffuse astrocytoma (DA)) who underwent epilepsy surgery in Bonn/Germany between 1988 and 2012 were evaluated.

RESULTS: At baseline, tumor groups differed in regard to age at epilepsy onset and location within the temporal lobe. Postoperative seizure freedom was achieved most frequently (>77.8%) in DNET, GG, and DA, less often in PXA (62.5%) and the least in PA (56.5%). Preoperative memory was impaired in 67.1% of all patients, executive functions in 44.7%, and language in 45.5%. Patients with PA displayed the poorest cognitive performance. Individual significant memory decline that was observed in 27.1% of all patients was predicted by left-sided surgery, a mesial pathology, and extended hippocampal resection. Executive functions depended on antiepileptic drug (AED) load and remained stable (72.0%) or even improved (21.6%) after surgery. Language functions were unchanged in 89.5% of patients.

CONCLUSION: Patients with LEATs in the temporal lobe frequently show cognitive impairments. Predictors for pre- and postoperative cognition mostly correspond to what is known for temporal lobe epilepsy and resections in general. However, different tumor types appear to be associated with different cognitive and seizure outcomes with astrocytoma as the least benefitted group.