REVIEW ARTICLE
Treatment and Long-Term Sequelae in Childhood Brain Tumors
Giorgio Attina1, Anna Ariano1, Palma Maurizi1, Silvia Triarico1, Michele Antonio Capozza1, Paola Coccia2, Daniela Rizzo3, Stefano Mastrangelo1, Antonio Ruggiero1, *
Article Information
Identifiers and Pagination:
Year: 2020Volume: 14
First Page: 79
Last Page: 84
Publisher ID: TONEUJ-14-79
DOI: 10.2174/1874205X02014010079
Article History:
Received Date: 12/5/2020Revision Received Date: 11/8/2020
Acceptance Date: 14/8/2020
Electronic publication date: 13/10/2020
Collection year: 2020
open-access license:
Abstract
In children treated for brain tumors, important deficits in cognitive development have been described. The reduction of Intelligence Quotient (IQ) is correlated with multiple conditions such as tumor location, obstructive hydrocephalus, surgical intervention, and above all, the use of radiotherapy, especially in young children. Demyelinization represents the most striking microscopic alteration following radiation: cerebral white matter’s loss and failure to white matter development could partly account for changes in IQ score.
Recently, combined chemo-radiotherapeutic approaches and the improvement of radiotherapy techniques have enabled the reduction of neurocognitive symptoms and improved the standard of life of childhood brain tumor survivors.