Highlighting the lack of neuropsychologists and speech therapists in healthcare services towards an accurate (pre‐ and postoperative) cognitive assessment in low‐grade glioma patients

Abstract

� Due to the slow growth of Low-grade gliomas (LGGs), cognitive impairments can be quite difficult to detect at early stages � There is a lack of staff specialized on the cognitive and emotional assessment of patients, such as neuropsychologists and speech therapists � Brain tumor patients are often misclassified as asymptomatic at the moment of diagnosis � An accurate and individually-designed assessment of their cognitive status can significantly improve the treatment strategy for each patient, allowing long-term planning and substantial differences in post-operative outcomes � Healthcare facilities treating LGG patients should give high priority to the formal inclusion of trained professionals capable of designing and implementing adequate pre-and post-operative strategies. By addressing this challenge, it is possible to guide clinical interventions and close the gap between surgery and rehabilitation therapy | INTRODUCTIONLow-grade gliomas (LGGs) are a slow-growth type of brain tumor usually located in the vicinity of areas that are essential for a wide range of cognitive processes including language, memory, or movement, causing disruptions on the patient's daily activities. With all due risks considered, resection is the usual treatment for these cases.Advances in cortical stimulation mapping during awake surgery have achieved outstanding improvements in avoiding postoperative functional deficits in comparison to general anesthesia surgeries. However, tumor resection can still hinder postoperative cognitive outcomes. There is extensive literature detailing the cognitive