Brain structural alterations and cognitive dysfunction in lung cancer patients without brain metastasis

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Oncology
• Radiology

Background:

• Lung cancer (LC) can affect cognitive function, but the underlying brain structural changes, independent of brain metastases or chemotherapy, are not fully understood.
• Cognitive impairment is a common concern for lung cancer patients, impacting quality of life.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between cognitive function and brain structural alterations in lung cancer patients without brain metastases.
• To differentiate structural brain changes associated with early-stage versus advanced-stage lung cancer.

Main Methods:

• Structural MRI was used to assess cortical thickness, surface area, and subcortical volumes in 75 chemotherapy-naive lung cancer patients and 29 healthy controls.
• Cognitive assessments were performed to evaluate various cognitive domains.
• Statistical analyses examined correlations between brain structure metrics and cognitive performance.

Main Results:

• Advanced-stage lung cancer (aLC) patients exhibited reduced subcortical volumes and decreased cortical thickness/surface area compared to healthy controls and early-stage lung cancer (eLC) patients.
• eLC patients showed increased cortical thickness in some regions.
• Cognitive impairments in visuospatial/executive function and delayed memory were observed in aLC patients and correlated with specific brain structural changes.

Conclusions:

• Structural brain abnormalities and cognitive dysfunction are present in advanced lung cancer patients, even without brain metastases.
• These changes appear to be a direct consequence of the lung cancer disease itself, rather than chemotherapy.
• Disease progression in lung cancer is associated with worsening cognitive function and more pronounced brain structural alterations.