gms | German Medical Science

Objective: Depression and decreased quality of life have been described in patients with cerebral glioma, however suicide of patients with glioma suffering from depression has not been reported often. The aim of our ongoing study is to prospectively assess signs of depression and impairment of quality of life in patients with malignant glioma and meningioma (WHO°I) using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) up to 12 months postoperatively.

Method: To date 40 patients with gliomas, 35 patients with meningiomas were included. Assessment of quality of life and depression were made during hospital stay (t1), after 3 (t2), 6 (t3) up to12 (t4) months after discharge by following instruments: EORTC QLQ-30, QLQ-BN20, BDI (Beck Depression Inventory, self-reporting instrument) and a self-designed questionnaire concerning suicidal tendency and social support. Karnofsky performance status scale (KPSS) and mini-mental state examination (MMSE) were used to evaluate the clinical and neurocognitive situation. Diagnosis of a preexisting depression was an exclusion criterion.

Results: Mean scores of BDI in the two patient groups were significantly different (glioma-group: t1 = 7.49, t2 = 9.32, t3 = 8.45, t4 = 7.73, meningioma-group: t1 = 7.19, t2 = 7.57, t3 = 6.2, t4 = 6.71t-test, p= 0.045). However, a score over 18 (manifest depression) was reached in both groups by 3 patients with gliomas and 3 patients with meningiomas. 7 patients in the glioma group and 6 patients in the meningioma group indicated that they had thought about suicide during the course of their disease. KPSS (glioma group: 90%, meningioma group 99%) and QOL were not significantly lower in the glioma group (QLQ-30 question no. 30: glioma-group: t1=3.84, t2=4.48, t3=4.59, t4=5.38; meningioma-group: t1=4.39, t2=5.26, t3=5.44, t4=5.85, range 1-7, p>0.05). However, a significant difference was noticed in health perception postoperatively (QLQ-30 question no. 29: glioma-group: t1=3.61, meningioma-group t1=4.39, range 1-7, p=0.021). More than 90% of all patients indicated to have a good familial support, whereas postoperatively patients with meningiomas felt significantly more often left alone (p=0.024).

Conclusions: We conclude that patients with gliomas are at a moderately higher risk of developing symptoms of depression after diagnosis compared to meningioma patients and may benefit from professional help despite their familial support. However, depression and suicidal thoughts occurred in both groups.