Development of new treatments for rare CNS tumors

Division Of Basic Sciences - Nci

Investigators

Linked publications, trials & patents

Abstract

We reported the findings from the NCI Neuro-Oncology Branch Natural History Study: ICAM-1 and IL-10 are associated with cognitive dysfunction in glioma patients using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment. Cognitive dysfunction was present in 53% of participants (n = 39), and more frequently in the IDH-wildtype group (75%) than in the IDH-mutant group (40%). Patients with wildtype tumors had higher levels of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), vascular cell adhesion molecule-1, interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha than patients with IDH-mutant tumors, which remained in multivariate analysis. ICAM-1 and IL-10 were higher in patients with cognitive dysfunction compared to those with normal cognition, even after adjusting for tumor IDH-mutation status, age, tumor grade, and surgery history. We also found that the COVID-19 pandemic experience for patients with central nervous system tumors resulted in a higher levels of depression, which has the potential to negatively influence treatment success and survival. Future work is needed to incorporate innovative tools and interventions that can be utilized remotely to identify and target mood disturbance in these vulnerable patients.