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Semin Neurol 2020; 40(03): 315-321
DOI: 10.1055/s-0040-1708867
Review Article
Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

Neurocognitive Outcomes in Children with Brain Tumors

Cassie N. Kline
1   Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California
2   Division of Child Neurology, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California
,
Sabine Mueller
1   Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California
2   Division of Child Neurology, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California
3   Division of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California
4   Division of Oncology, University Children's Hospital of Zuerich, Zuerich, Switzerland
› Author Affiliations Funding C.N.K. is supported by grants from the Frank A. Campini Foundation, Cannonball Kids’ Cancer Foundation (A129749), and National Institutes of Health National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (KL2TR001870). This content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH.
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Publication History

Publication Date:
11 May 2020 (online)

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Abstract

Brain tumors are the most common solid tumor in childhood, and although survival outcomes continue to improve, survival is frequently offset by devastating late effects from tumor and treatment. The long-term effects of brain tumors and the therapy necessary to treat them range from sensory and neuroendocrine abnormalities to neurocognitive deficits leading to inferior quality of life. The multifactorial neurocognitive injury is one of the most broadly impacting and challenging late effects to predict and subsequently treat. Certain treatment modalities, such as intrathecal methotrexate and radiation, have been shown to be associated with poor neurocognition; however, long-term outcomes remain highly variable. There are efforts underway to investigate how to better predict, identify, and manage such neurocognitive injury in survivors of pediatric brain tumors. Herein, we focus on the current knowledge of neurocognitive outcomes and potential treatment strategies for this high-risk group.

Keywords

pediatric brain tumors - neurocognition - late effects - cranial radiation therapy
 

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