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Morphological brain lesions of pediatric cerebellar tumor survivors correlate with inferior neurocognitive function but do not affect health-related quality of life

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Abstract

Purpose

We aimed to determine whether extent of morphological brain injury in pediatric cerebellar tumor survivors correlates with neurocognitive function and health-related quality of life (HrQoL).

Methods

Seventeen cerebellar pilocytic astrocytoma (cPA) and 17 medulloblastoma (MB) survivors were examined for HrQoL, intelligence using the German version of the WISC-III, attention, working memory, and visual motor coordination. MRI scans were analyzed for extent of posterior fossa brain tissue loss.

Results

We found significant correlations between amount and extent morphological brain lesions of pediatric cerebellar tumor survivors and several cognitive impairments including intelligence and attention in both patient groups. These were in total more pronounced in MB patients when compared to cPA patients. Still, function loss and brain lesions detected on conventional MRI did not influence HrQoL.

Conclusions

These findings support the notion that long-term neurocognitive deficits of pediatric posterior fossa tumor survivors significantly correlate with brain tissue damage. The cerebellum plays a role in regulating higher-order functions. On the contrary, the extent brain injury is not detected by HrQoL assessment.

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Acknowledgments

A doctoral thesis scholarship of the “Kind-Philipp-Stiftung” to SM Rueckriegel is gratefully acknowledged.

Conflict of interest

No potential conflicts of interest were disclosed.

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Author notes

    Authors and Affiliations

    1. Pediatric Neurooncology Program, Department of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Augustenburger Platz 1, D-13353, Berlin, Germany

      Rajiv Kumar Khajuria, Friederike Blankenburg, Ines Wuithschick, Stefan Rueckriegel & Pablo Hernáiz Driever

    2. Department of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Augustenburger Platz 1, D-13353, Berlin, Germany

      Ulrich-Wilhelm Thomale

    3. Department of Pediatric Radiology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Augustenburger Platz 1, D-13353, Berlin, Germany

      Michael Mansour

    4. Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Lüdenscheid Hospital, Paulmannshöher Strasse 14, D-58515, Lüdenscheid, Germany

      Michael Mansour

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    1. Rajiv Kumar Khajuria
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    Correspondence to Pablo Hernáiz Driever.

    Additional information

    Rajiv Kumar Khajuria, Friederike Blankenburg and Ines Wuithschick contributed equally to this work.

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    Khajuria, R.K., Blankenburg, F., Wuithschick, I. et al. Morphological brain lesions of pediatric cerebellar tumor survivors correlate with inferior neurocognitive function but do not affect health-related quality of life. Childs Nerv Syst 31, 569–580 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00381-015-2635-4

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    • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00381-015-2635-4

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