Factors affecting diagnosis of primary pediatric central nervous system neoplasias in a developing country

Understand the variables that could interfere with diagnosis and prompt treatment in CNS childhood cancer in Brazil, a developing country with continental dimensions.

From 2005 to 2010, we retrospectively evaluated factors, which could represent a negative influence on the time period elapsing from the onset of symptoms until the diagnosis of the central nervous system (CNS) neoplasia in children and adolescents attended in our service.

Two hundred seventeen records were analyzed retrospectively. Factors of the households were evaluated, and this data was related to the time period elapsing from presentation of the first symptoms until the diagnosis of CNS neoplasia. The average time elapsed from the onset of the symptoms until seeking medical assistance was 96 days, and from medical assistance to patient referral to a reference service was 33 days. The symptoms which most contributed to a shorter delay in diagnosis were changes in gait and paresis, mother's occupation, father's education level, patient gender, and living in the state of São Paulo. Besides that, variables such as male gender, mother's education level, and lower patient age were associated with an early diagnosis time.

There is great difficulty in performing early diagnosis of CNS tumors, partly due to parent's inability to recognize signs and symptoms, and in part due to an educational deficit among healthcare professionals. Identification of measures that can minimize these causes of delay is fundamental to increasing the chance of cure and survival of these patients.