Psychological and Socioeconomic Impact of Benign and Malignant Brain Tumors in a Low-Resource Setting

Abstract

Background: Brain tumors, whether benign or malignant, can impose substantial psychological distress and socioeconomic burden, particularly in low-resource healthcare settings.

Objective: To evaluate the cognitive, emotional, and socioeconomic burden of benign and malignant brain tumors in a resource-limited setting, with the aim of informing interventions to improve patient quality of life.

Methods: The prospective cross-sectional study was carried out at two public tertiary hospitals of Lahore, Pakistan between September, 2024 and March, 2025. Structured questionnaires that measured mental strain, cognitive difficulties, life outlook, and financial burden were used to interview patients who had one or more primary brain tumors and were in the treatment process (19 years and above). Sociodemographic and clinical measures were captured. Findings were summarized using descriptive statistics.

Results: It involved 48 patients with a mean age of 38.1 +16.2 years; 29 (60.4) were males. There were 31 cases of benign tumors (64.6%), and 17 cases of malignant tumors (35.4). Most patients (56.3%) described that their views about life changed significantly and 25% of patients had an outlook of anxiety on a daily basis and 29.2% on a worrying daily basis. There was mild cognitive impairment (33.3%), and severe impairment in concentration (12.5%). The financial burden was huge with 45.8 reporting a very high burden. Psychosocial and financial stress was quite significant among both the patients with benign and malignant tumors.

Conclusion: Regardless of tumor histology, brain tumors present patients with severe cognitive, emotional, and financial burdens. In resource constrained environments, mental health support coupled with cognitive rehabilitation and financial counseling should become a part of regular care to enhance the quality of life and adherence to treatment.