title: Comparison of functional outcomes in low- and high-grade astrocytoma rehabilitation inpatients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare inpatient rehabilitation outcomes between patients with low- and high-grade astrocytoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective review of medical records for patients admitted from September 1, 1996, to June 30, 2008, to the inpatient rehabilitation unit at a tertiary care cancer center. A high-grade (21 of 443 patients) and low-grade astrocytoma (21 of 24 patients) group were matched on three of five criteria in the order of importance: area of brain involvement (divided into left cerebral, right cerebral, midline and/or bilateral cerebral, and infratentorial), single vs. multiple intracranial neurosurgical procedures, age (within 10 yrs), period of rehabilitation admission (within 3 yrs), and sex. Descriptive statistics were used to compare demographic data and scores in four categories (total, activities of daily living, mobility, and cognition) from the patients' functional independence measure assessment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No significant (P > 0.05) differences were found in demographics or efficiency between the two groups. The high-grade group had significantly (P < 0.05) higher total gain and longer stay in inpatient rehabilitation (mean +/- standard deviation, 21.7 +/- 10.1 vs. 13.0 +/- 9.3 and 13 +/- 7.1 day vs. 9 +/- 6.2 days, respectively) than did the low-grade astrocytoma group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Compared with patients with low-grade astrocytoma, patients with high-grade astrocytoma had higher total functional independence measure gain but also longer lengths of stay. Functional independence measure efficiencies were comparable between the two groups. Our results parallel those of previous rehabilitation outcome studies comparing patients with brain tumors with patients with brain injuries of other etiologies. Larger matched studies are needed for this patient population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Palliative Care and Rehabilitation Medicine, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030-4009, USA.
authors.forename: Jack B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.forename: Henrique A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Parsons
authors.forename: Ki Y
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Benedict S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Konzen
authors.forename: Rajesh R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Yadav
authors.forename: Dennis W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001254:Astrocytoma / Q000473:pathology / Q000534:rehabilitation* / Q000601:surgery; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000534:rehabilitation* / Q000601:surgery; D002648:Child; D003071:Cognition; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009068:Movement; D011182:Postoperative Care; D012189:Retrospective Studies