‘Mood issues in 40% brain tumour patients leads to misdiagnosis’

SINCE PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS ARE NOT ASSOCIATED WITH BRAIN TUMOURS, DIAGNOSIS IS OFTEN MISSED

NEWDELHI: Around 40% of patients with tumours in the brain’s frontal lobe develop psychological symptoms around two years before their diagnosis, an on-going study at New Delhi’s GB Pant Hospital has found.

“When looking for a tumour, doctors usually check for neurological symptoms such as headaches, weakness in parts of the body, or vision problems. We’ve found that in many patients, a frontal lobe tumour presents with pure psychological symptoms such as anxiety, depression or changes in personality, without showing any of the neurological symptoms,” said Dr Hukum Singh, professor of neurosurgery at GB Pant Hospital.

The brain’s frontal lobe controls personality and cognitive skills, such as memory, problem solving, language, impulse, judgment and social behaviour.

The study was conducted on 125 patients treated at the GB Pant Hospital over the past two years. Around 40% of the patients with frontal lobe tumours treated at hospital showed symptoms depression, anxiety, reclusiveness, agitation and abusiveness, doctors who conducted the study said.

The numbers from the study conducted in India are nearly double of estimates put forth by international studies. “The presentation of frontal lobe tumours with just psychological symptoms is more common than what was previously believed, with our estimates being almost double the 21% estimated in international scientific studies,” said Dr Daljit Singh, head of the hospital’s neurosurgery department.

Since psychological symptoms are not associated with brain tumours, diagnosis is often missed, he said. “Normally, such cases get referred to a psychologist and the person may continue getting treated for the symptoms for years before the neurological symptoms show and doctors ask for an MRI,” said Dr Daljit Singh.

“The study also found that patients with brain tumour who showed psychological symptoms for a longer period had a poorer quality of life post-operatively than people who had the symptoms for three months or less,” said Dr Pravin Borde, a resident doctor and one of the authors of the study.

The study suggests that doctors should consider the possibility of frontal lobe tumour being a trigger in people who present with abrupt behaviour and mood changes. “If these symptoms start showing in people who have been normal throughout, without any apparent cause of stress, then a brain imaging should be suggested,” said Dr Daljit Singh.