[Academic future of children treated for brain tumors. Single-center study of 27 children]
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Creating Anatomically Accurate and Reproducible Intracranial Xenografts of Human Brain Tumors
Published on: September 24, 2014
1Ecole des Enfants malades (hôpitaux de Lyon), Caluire, France.
Insights
Childhood brain tumor survivors frequently experience learning difficulties, impacting academic success. Early, multidisciplinary support is crucial for managing these challenges and improving educational outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric neuro-oncology
- Childhood oncology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Brain tumors are the most common childhood solid malignancy.
- Survivors often face long-term sequelae affecting academic achievement.
- Educational outcomes for these children are under-researched.
Purpose of the Study:
- To detail the educational outcomes of children treated for brain tumors.
- To investigate the impact of brain tumors and their treatment on learning.
- To understand the need for educational and psychological support.
Main Methods:
- Questionnaire survey of parents of children diagnosed with brain tumors (1987-1993).
- Inclusion criteria: under 12 years at diagnosis, at least 3 years follow-up.
- Focus on pre-diagnosis education, progress during/after treatment, and support measures.
Main Results:
- 26 out of 27 respondents reported learning difficulties.
- Common issues include slowness, memory, and comprehension deficits, affecting math, reading, and spelling.
- 15 children received extra support, with significant variation in quality and quantity; parents actively participated.
Conclusions:
- Learning difficulties are almost universal in childhood brain tumor survivors.
- These difficulties significantly impact academic progress and parental well-being.
- Urgent need for early, multidisciplinary educational and psychological management is highlighted.
Unlabelled:
Brain tumours constitute the most common type of solid malignancy in childhood. Despite intensive efforts developed since the mid-1970s in paediatric neuro-oncology, survivors still have a wide range of sequelae leading to frequent failure in academic achievements. Very few studies have detailed the educational outcome of these children.
Patients And Methods:
The study was based on a questionnaire sent to the parents of children diagnosed with a brain tumour and treated at the Centre Léon-Bérard between 1987 and 1993. Children had to be under 12 years old at the time of diagnosis and with at least three years of follow-up since diagnosis. Questions focused on the child's education before diagnosis, his progress during and after treatment, the measures taken when the child experienced learning difficulties and their consequences on the child's socioprofessional integration.
Results:
Twenty-seven responses were obtained out of 34 questionnaires. Twenty-six children were reported to experience learning difficulties. Only four children had a normal education. The main problems are associated with slowness, memory and comprehension difficulties. The main disciplines affected are mathematics, reading and spelling. Fifteen children did benefit from extra support, with large interindividual variations in the amount and the quality of this support. Half of the parents play an active role in their child's extra support.
Conclusions:
This study provides additional information to previous reports on progressive I.Q. decline following the treatment of a brain tumour in childhood. Learning difficulties are nearly constant and adversely influence the child's curriculum. They also affect the parents who experience questions about the future of their ideal child. The severity and complexity of these learning difficulties urge for an early multidisciplinary educational and psychological management. The main characteristics of these remedial efforts should be assessed in prospective studies.
