Adjuvant therapy versus surgery in controlling seizure in patients with low-grade glioma tumor

Introduction: Since surgical treatment for tumorous lesions does not always lead to complete patient recovery, it is possible for the attacks to continue. To help plan for the patients' health, this study aimed to compare the therapeutic effects of adjuvant therapy and surgery in controlling seizure of low-grade glioma (LGG) patients in Firoozgar Hospital in 2013-2014. Methods: In this analytical cross-sectional study, 114 patients with LGG (grade 2) tumors admitted in Firoozgar Hospital during 2013-2014 were divided into two groups of adjuvant therapy and surgical treatment. All of these patients were followed by telephone and were asked about the incidence, frequency, and intensity of seizure attacks up to one year after surgery. The age and sex of the patients, along with the drug used after surgery, were also recorded on a checklist. Electroencephalography (EEG) was performed on all the patients under the supervision of a neurologist. Patient information was entered into the SPSS V.16 and analyzed. Chi-2 test was used to analyze and compare the qualitative variables, and T-test was employed to compare quantitative variables between the two groups. Alpha values below 0.05 were considered significant. Results: In the present study, the incidence of seizure after surgery and adjuvant therapy were 16 (1.28%) and 20 (35.1%), respectively. The severity of seizure before and after treatment was not significantly different between the two groups. However, in both groups, the severity and frequency of seizure decreased significantly after treatment, although there was no significant difference between the two groups before and after treatment. In the surgery group, 17 patients (29.82%) and in the adjuvant therapy group, 19 patients (33.33%) had an unusual EEG. There was a significant correlation between the post-treatment seizure and abnormal EEG (p <0.001). Conclusions: Based on the results of this study, it can be concluded that the incidence, severity, and frequency of seizure in patients with LGG were decreased after surgical treatment or adjunct therapy, but there is no significant difference between the two methods.