Psychological Outcomes Following SRS for Acoustic Neuromas
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Long-term Neuropsychological and Psychosocial Outcomes Following Stereotactic Radiosurgery for Acoustic Neuromas
IRAS ID
187787
Contact name
Colin Wilson
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Belfast Health and Social Care Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 3 months, 30 days
Research summary
Acoustic Neuromas (ANs) are benign tumours which develop in the brain, close to the ear. Increasingly, a type of radiation treatment known as Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS) is used to treat ANs. SRS is considered less invasive and has comparable outcomes to surgery (Kondziolka, Shin, Brunswick, Kim & Silverman, 2015). SRS involves radiation beams which merge together to deliver a dose of radiation to the tumour.
While the negative effects of radiation on the brain is likely to be less when SRS is used compared to other types of radiation (e.g. whole brain radiation), potential risks of radiation exposure may still exist, as radiation beams can overlap other brain structures which may be located close to the tumour.
To date however, there have been no studies documenting the cognitive and psychosocial outcomes of SRS for Acoustic Neuromas (Chang et al., 2009). This is particularly relevant to patients with Acoustic Neuromas who, due to improved long term survival rate, can live for many years post radiation treatment, yet may be susceptible to cognitive and psychosocial decline in later years.
The proposed research is a hypothesis driven study to investigate the extent or otherwise cognitive deficits and quality of life following SRS for Acoustic Neuromas. The study will use a case series design to facilitate a detailed analysis of the long-term outcomes of participants.
Neuropsychological tests will be used to assess specific areas of cognitive function including memory, attention, processing speed and motor dexterity. In addition, psychosocial measures of quality of life and affect will be administered alongside a semi-structured interview exploring participant's subjective view of their psychological outcomes post SRS.
REC name
HSC REC B
REC reference
16/NI/0041
Date of REC Opinion
15 Mar 2016
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion