Effects of different hemispheric gliomas on depression and prognosis in neurosurgery patients

Depression is common in patients with gliomas, but few studies focused on the association between depression and glioma laterality.

This study was purposed to investigate depression difference and prognostic value between patients with left-hemispheric gliomas and right-hemispheric gliomas.

This study included 212 patients with left-hemispheric gliomas and 218 patients with right-hemispheric gliomas. Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and Zung self-rating depression scale (SDS) were independently performed before surgery, 3 months and 6 months after surgery. All patients were followed up to death or 36 months. Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were performed to evaluate the survival of glioma patients.

The preoperative prevalence and scores of depression in patients with left-hemispheric gliomas were higher than those in patients with right-hemispheric gliomas. But there were no differences in postoperative prevalence and scores of depression between patients with left-hemispheric gliomas and right-hemispheric gliomas. In patients with left-hemispheric gliomas or with right-hemispheric gliomas, the preoperative scores of depression were higher than postoperative scores of depression, whereas there was no difference in depression score between 3 months after surgery and 6 months after surgery. In addition, patients with right-hemispheric gliomas had better PFS and OS than patients with left-hemispheric gliomas.

Patients with left-hemispheric gliomas are more likely to bring about depression than patients with right-hemispheric gliomas. Besides, patients with right-hemispheric gliomas are more likely to have better survival than patients with left-hemispheric gliomas. Surgery is considered as a useful treatment to alleviate depression of glioma patients.