The Relationship between Social Determinants of Health and Neurocognitive and Mood-Related Symptoms in the Primary Brain Tumor Population: A Systematic Review

Social determinants of health (SDOH) impact cancer-related health outcomes, including survival, but their impact on symptoms is less understood among the primary brain tumor (PBT) population. We conducted a systematic review to examine the relationships between SDOH and neurocognitive and mood-related symptoms among the PBT population. PubMed, EMBASE, and CINAHL were searched using PROGRESS criteria (Place of residence, Race/ethnicity, Occupation, Gender/Sex, Religion, Education, Socioeconomic status, Social capital) on March 8th, 2022. Two individuals screened and assessed study quality using the NHLBI Assessment Tool for Observational Cohort and Cross-sectional Studies. Of 3,006 abstracts identified, 150 full-text articles were assessed, and 48 were included for a total sample of 28,454 study participants. Twenty-two studies examined one SDOH; none examined all eight. Four studies measured place of residence, 2 race/ethnicity, 13 occupation, 42 gender, 1 religion, 18 education, 4 socioeconomic status, and 15 social capital. Fifteen studies assessed neurocognitive and 37 mood-related symptoms. While higher education was associated with less neurocognitive symptoms and among individuals with meningioma sustained unemployment after surgery with depressive symptoms, results were otherwise disparate among SDOH and symptoms. Most studies were descriptive or exploratory, lacking comprehensive inclusion of SDOH. Standardizing SDOH collection, reducing bias, and recruiting diverse samples is recommended in future interventions.