Neurocognitive Outcomes in Pediatric Brain Tumors Survivors

Neurocognitive disorders are a common long-term effect in brain tumor survivors. The rate of intelligence quotient (IQ) decline is associated with a several risk factors, including tumor location, younger age at time of treatment, treatment intensity, in particular use of radiotherapy and radiotherapy dose, as well as clinical variables such as hydrocephalus and presence of epilepsy. Demyelinization represents the most important alteration following radiation: loss of cerebral white matter is related to IQ decline, due to damage of the complex information transmission network connecting the various brain areas. Recently, combined chemo-radiotherapeutic approaches and new technologies in radiation therapy have enabled to lower the frequency of neurocognitive deficits and improve the quality of life of paediatric brain tumours survivors.