Importance of baseline mini-mental state examination as a prognostic factor for patients with low-grade glioma

The outcome and cognitive performance data collected in a prospective, intergroup clinical trial were analyzed to assess the prognostic importance of the baseline (before radiotherapy) Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score in patients with low-grade glioma.

The patients studied were 203 adults with a supratentorial low-grade glioma randomly assigned to low-dose (50.4 Gy in 28 fractions) or high-dose (64.8 Gy in 36 fractions) localized radiotherapy. Folstein MMSE scores and neurologic function scores at baseline in combination with multiple other baseline variables were analyzed. The median follow-up was 7.4 years for the 101 patients still alive.

Patients (n = 36) with an abnormal baseline MMSE score (< or =26) had a worse 5-year progression-free survival rate (27% vs. 60%; p <0.001) and overall survival rate (31% vs. 76%; p <0.001) compared with those with a normal score. On multivariate analysis, the baseline MMSE score was a statistically significant predictor of survival. Other factors associated with overall survival were age, tumor size, and tumor histologic type.

The presence of an abnormal baseline MMSE score was a strong predictor of poorer progression-free and overall survival for patients with a low-grade glioma. The baseline MMSE should be considered in future prognostic scoring systems.