Table 3.
Characteristics of cases in which focal neurological symptoms appeared along with or after psychiatric symptoms.
| Pediatric cases | Adult Cases | Older Adult Cases | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Variable | Focal Neurological Symptoms along with Psychiatric Symptoms (n = 4) |
Focal Neurological Symptoms after Psychiatric Symptoms (n = 19) |
Stat | p | Focal Neurological Symptoms along with Psychiatric Symptoms (n = 16) | Focal Neurological Symptoms after Psychiatric Symptoms (n = 49) | Stat | p | Focal Neurological Symptoms along with Psychiatric Symptoms (n = 6) |
Focal Neurological Symptoms after Psychiatric Symptoms (n = 8) |
Stat | p |
| Age, years a | 8 (4, 14) | 13 (10, 15) | 22.00 | 0.22 | 49 (30, 59) | 41 (33, 55) | 361.0 | 0.64 | 72 (68, 79) | 68 (65, 73) | 14.00 | 0.23 |
| Gender, n (%F) | 1 (25%) | 7 (37%) | 0.20 | 1.00 | 11 (69%) | 26 (57%) | 1.21 | 0.39 | 2 (33%) | 5 (63%) | 1.17 | 0.59 |
| Type of tumor (n, % of the three most frequent types) b | Diffuse astrocytic and oligodendroglial (2, 50%); mesenchimal (1, 25%); germ cell (1, 25%) | Meningiomas (9, 47%); diffuse astrocytic and oligodendroglial (6, 32%); mesenchimal (2, 11%) | 7.92 | 0.10 | Meningiomas (5, 27%); diffuse astrocytic and oligodendroglial (4, 27%); tumors of the sellar region (2, 13%) | Meningiomas (14, 29%); diffuse astrocytic and oligodendroglial (13, 27%); neuronal and mixed neuronal glia (6, 12%) | 5.49 | 0.70 | Meningiomas (5, 83%); diffuse astrocytic and oligodendroglial (1, 17%) | Meningiomas (4, 50%); diffuse astrocytic and oligodendroglial (4, 50%) | 1.66 | 0.30 |
| Location, n (% infratentorial) c |
1 (25%) | 6 (38%) | 0.15 | 1.00 | 1 (7%) | 9 (18%) | 1.36 | 0.43 | 1 (17%) | 2 (25%) | 0.14 | 1.00 |
| Time from onset of symptoms to diagnosis, months a | 4 (1, 8) | 13 (4, 36) | 15.00 | 0.07 | 3 (1, 18) d | 18 (6, 48) d | 161.5 | 0.012 | 4 (1, 68) | 18 (5, 57) | 11.00 | 0.31 |
| Resolution of psychiatric symptoms after tumor treatment, n (%) | 4 (100%) e | 13 (100%) e | - | - | 7 (86%) f | 28 (90%) f | 0.06 | 1.00 | 1 (100%) g | 2 (100%) g | - | - |
| Psychiatric Symptoms | ||||||||||||
| Anxiety, n (%) | 1 (25%) | 5 (26%) | 0.00 | 1.00 | 2 (13%) | 10 (20%) | 0.50 | 0.71 | 0 (0%) | 4 (50%) | 4.20 | 0.09 |
| Apathy, n (%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (5%) | 0.22 | 1.00 | 0 (0%) | 9 (18%) | 3.41 | 0.10 | 2 (33%) | 2 (25%) | 0.12 | 1.00 |
| Depression, n (%) | 0 (0%) | 7 (37%) | 2.12 | 0.27 | 5 (31%) | 13 (27%) | 0.13 | 0.75 | 0 (0%) | 3 (38%) | 2.86 | 0.21 |
| Eating disorder, n (%) | 0 (0%) | 10 (53%) | 3.73 | 0.10 | 0 (0%) | 5 (10%) | 1.77 | 0.32 | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | - | - |
| Manic Symptoms, n (%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (5%) | 0.22 | 1.00 | 1 (6%) | 5 (10%) | 0.23 | 1.00 | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | - | - |
| Miscellaneous, n (%) | 2 (50%) | 3 (16%) | 2.27 | 0.19 | 3 (19%) | 3 (6%) | 2.30 | 0.15 | 2 (33%) | 0 (0%) | 3.11 | 0.17 |
| Personality changes, n (%) | 1 (25%) | 3 (16%) | 0.20 | 1.00 | 3 (19%) | 14 (29%) | 0.60 | 0.53 | 3 (50%) | 2 (25%) | 0.93 | 0.58 |
| Psychotic symptoms, n (%) | 2 (50%) | 5 (26%) | 0.88 | 0.56 | 10 (63%) | 21 (43%) | 1.87 | 0.25 | 1 (17%) | 2 (25%) | 0.14 | 1.00 |
| Neurological Symptoms | ||||||||||||
| Cognitive deficits, n (%) | 0 (0%) | 5 (26%) | 1.35 | 0.54 | 9 (56%) | 16 (33%) | 2.84 | 0.14 | 3 (50%) | 6 (75%) | 0.93 | 0.58 |
| Delayed puberty, n (%) | 0 (0%) | 2 (11%) | 0.46 | 1.00 | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | - | - | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | - | - |
| Dizziness, n (%) | 0 (0%) | 3 (16%) | 0.73 | 1.00 | 1 (6%) | 5 (10%) | 0.22 | 1.00 | 0 (0%) | 3 (38%) | 2.86 | 0.21 |
| Growth retardation, n (%) | 0 (0%) | 4 (21%) | 1.02 | 1.00 | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | - | - | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | - | - |
| Headache, n (%) | 2 (50%) | 4 (21%) | 1.44 | 0.27 | 5 (31%) | 26 (53%) | 2.30 | 0.16 | 3 (50%) | 3 (38%) | 0.22 | 1.00 |
| Motor deficits, n (%) | 2 (50%) | 15 (79%) | 1.44 | 0.27 | 13 (81%) | 23 (47%) | 5.75 | 0.02 | 5 (83%) | 6 (75%) | 0.14 | 1.00 |
| Nausea/Vomiting, n (%) | 2 (50%) | 10 (53%) | 0.01 | 1.00 | 2 (13%) | 11 (22%) | 0.75 | 0.49 | 0 (0%) | 2 (25%) | 1.75 | 0.47 |
| Ocular impairments, n (%) | 2 (50%) | 7 (37%) | 0.24 | 1.00 | 6 (38%) | 15 (31%) | 0.26 | 0.76 | 1 (17%) | 2 (25%) | 0.14 | 1.00 |
| Seizures, n (%) | 2 (50%) | 0 (0%) | 10.41 | 0.024 | 5 (31%) | 13 (27%) | 0.13 | 0.75 | 0 (0%) | 2 (25%) | 1.75 | 0.47 |
| Sleep disturbances, n (%) | 3 (75%) | 3 (16%) | 6.01 | 0.04 | 5 (31%) | 14 (29%) | 0.04 | 1.00 | 1 (17%) | 0 (0%) | 1.44 | 0.43 |
| Speech impediments, n (%) | 0 (0%) | 2 (11%) | 0.46 | 1.00 | 4 (25%) | 14 (29%) | 0.07 | 1.00 | 1 (17%) | 2 (25%) | 0.14 | 1.00 |
| Urinary incontinence, n (%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | - | - | 1 (6%) | 8 (17%) h | 1.08 | 0.43 | 2 (33%) | 1 (13%) | 0.88 | 0.54 |
Cases were stratified according to age at diagnosis (pediatric cases: age < 18 years; adult cases: age between 18 and 64 years; and older adult cases: age ≥ 65 years). Age at diagnosis and months from onset of psychiatric symptoms to diagnosis were compared between patients with neurological symptoms appeared along with vs. appeared after psychiatric symptoms using Mann Whitney U test. All the other variables were compared between the two groups using Fisher’s exact test. Significant results are reported in bold. a = median (25, 75 percentile); b Analyses conducted on all available types of tumor. Only the three most frequent types are reported in the table; c Tumors were classified in supratentorial and infratentorial. As only two pediatric cases shower both supra and infratemporal locations, these cases were excluded from analyses; d Data only available for 13 and 46 participants for which focal neurological symptoms appeared along with and after psychiatric symptoms, respectively; e Data only available for four and 13 participants for which focal neurological symptoms appeared along with and after psychiatric symptoms, respectively; f Data only available for eight and 31 participants for which focal neurological symptoms appeared along with and after psychiatric symptoms, respectively; g Data only available for one and two participants for which focal neurological symptoms appeared along with and after psychiatric symptoms, respectively; h Data available for 48 patients. Abbreviations: F, female; Stat, statistics.