Emotional and social dysfunction in patients following surgical treatment for brain tumour

Patients following brain surgery for tumour were assessed using the Emotional and Social Dysfunction questionnaire on a self-rating and partner version of the questionnaire. Analyses were performed on those patients who had self-ratings following surgery for astrocytoma (n = 13), meningioma (n = 26), neuroma (n = 13) and pituitary adenoma (n = 17). Patients with astrocytoma were rated highest when compared to the other tumour groups, although all groups of patients performed more poorly on some of the individual scales compared to a matched control group of extra-cerebral neurosurgery patients and terminally ill cancer patients. A malignant (n = 48) and benign (n = 33) classification similarly showed a higher partner and self-rating of malignant tumour patients. Both diagnosis and location of lesion determined outcome independently. Some differences in profile and severity between patient self-ratings and partner ratings indicate the need to survey both perspectives. This study shows a broader based emotional dysfunction in these patients which includes such prominent features such as anger, helplessness, fatigue, emotional dyscontrol, indifference, and maladaptive behaviour. These results are discussed in terms of follow-up therapeutic care and the need to further explore the relationship between lesion location and emotional profile. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.