NCOG-27. HIGHER LEVELS OF SERUM ICAM-1 AND IL-10 ARE ASSOCIATED WITH COGNITIVE DYSFUNCTION IN BOTH IDH-WILDTYPE AND IDH-MUTANT GLIOMA

Cognitive dysfunction is common among glioma patients, but the contribution of specific mechanisms to the development of cognitive symptoms is unclear. Circulating levels of proteins linked to neurodegeneration, inflammation, and vascular damage have been associated with cognitive symptoms in neurological diseases and aging, but their prognostic value in glioma is unknown. Here, we examined associations between cognitive symptoms and serum levels of protein biomarkers in glioma patients.

Cognitive function was evaluated using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA, scores ≤ 25 = cognitive dysfunction). Cytokines (interleukin-1β [IL-1β], IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12p70, IL-13, interferon-γ [IFN-γ], tumor necrosis factor-α [TNF-α]), and neurodegeneration (neurofilament light chain [NfL], tau, glial fibrillary acidic protein [GFAP]), and vascular damage markers (Serum amyloid A [SAA], C-reactive protein [CRP], vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 [VCAM-1], and intercellular adhesion molecule 1 [ICAM-1]) were measured using ultrasensitive assays (Meso Scale Discovery).

Patients (n=73) were predominantly male (58%), white (74%), with a median age of 44 (range=24,74). Cognitive dysfunction was found in 53% of the patients. Levels of NfL (p=0.035), IL-6 (p=0.006), IL-10 (p=0.007), TNF-α (p=0.035), IFN-γ (p=0.011), CRP (p=0.016), VCAM-1 (p=0.012), and ICAM-1 (p<0.001) were higher in patients with cognitive dysfunction when compared to those with normal cognition. After adjusting for isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) tumor mutation status, age, tumor grade, and number of surgeries, higher levels of ICAM-1 and IL-10, but not other markers, remained associated with cognitive dysfunction. MoCA scores were negatively correlated with GFAP (r=-0.24, p=0.038), IFN‐γ (r=-0.31, p=0.008), IL-6 (r=-0.29, p=0.014), IL-10 (r=-0.24, p=0.039), and ICAM-1 (r=-0.39, p<0.001).

ICAM-1 and IL-10 levels were higher in patients with MOCA determined cognitive dysfunction, suggesting an association between cognitive symptoms and inflammation and vascular impairment in glioma patients. Future analyses in larger longitudinal cohorts are warranted to assess the predictive value of protein biomarkers.