title: Laterality of brain tumors.
abstract: Tumor laterality was evaluated with respect to presenting symptoms and demographic factors among 489 adults with histologically confirmed glioma (354 high-grade, 135 low-grade), 197 with meningioma, and 96 with acoustic neuroma. The ratio of left-sided to right-sided tumors did not differ significantly from 1.00 for any of the major tumor types. Low-grade glioma and meningioma occurred nonsignificantly more often on the left side, whereas high-grade glioma and acoustic neuroma occurred nonsignificantly more often on the right side. Aphasia or mental status changes were significantly more common among glioma patients with tumors on the left side than among those with tumors on the right side. Associations between tumor laterality and symptoms may influence the probability or timing of diagnosis, possibly differentially by marital status.
authors.affiliation: Epidemiology and Biostatistics Program, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Natioanl Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. inskippe@mail.nih.gov
authors.forename: Peter D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Inskip
authors.forename: Robert E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Tarone
authors.forename: Elizabeth E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Hatch
authors.forename: Timothy C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Wilcosky
authors.forename: Robert G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Selker
authors.forename: Howard A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Fine
authors.forename: Peter McL
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Black
authors.forename: Jay S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Loeffler
authors.forename: William R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Shapiro
authors.forename: Martha S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Linet
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D005910:Glioma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008579:Meningioma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009464:Neuroma, Acoustic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed