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Beyond Survival: Trajectories of neurocognitive functioning in paediatric brain tumour patients treated with surgery alone

Herbertsson, Amelie LU and Houghton, Evelina LU (2023) PSPR14 20222
Department of Psychology
Abstract
Paediatric tumour in brain and spinal cord is the second most common form of cancer in childhood. Previous research has shown inconclusive results regarding the neurocognitive outcomes of patients treated with surgery alone. The purpose of this retrospective, longitudinal study, was to explore the trajectories of neurocognitive functioning for these patients. Participants (N=107) with a paediatric brain tumour diagnosis from Skåne University Hospital were assessed one to six times with age-appropriate Weschler subtests; Vocabulary, Matrix Reasoning, Coding and Digit Span. Neurocognitive scores from assessments were analysed in separate multilevel linear models. The scores were also compared with national age adjusted norms at different... (More)
Paediatric tumour in brain and spinal cord is the second most common form of cancer in childhood. Previous research has shown inconclusive results regarding the neurocognitive outcomes of patients treated with surgery alone. The purpose of this retrospective, longitudinal study, was to explore the trajectories of neurocognitive functioning for these patients. Participants (N=107) with a paediatric brain tumour diagnosis from Skåne University Hospital were assessed one to six times with age-appropriate Weschler subtests; Vocabulary, Matrix Reasoning, Coding and Digit Span. Neurocognitive scores from assessments were analysed in separate multilevel linear models. The scores were also compared with national age adjusted norms at different time points. Verbal comprehension was the only domain which declined in scores over time. Younger age at diagnosis was associated with poorer neurocognitive development of perceptual reasoning, and processing speed, while patients who were older at diagnosis seemed to recover within these domains post-surgery. Compared to national age norms, participants had lower scores on processing speed and working memory pre- surgery. Seizures and male sex were associated with less favourable outcomes, and further research is needed to understand the underlying biological factors in these specific risks. (Less)
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author
Herbertsson, Amelie LU and Houghton, Evelina LU
supervisor
organization
course
PSPR14 20222
year
type
H3 - Professional qualifications (4 Years - )
subject
keywords
CNS-tumor in childhood, neurocognitive outcome, surgery only
language
English
id
9107643
date added to LUP
2023-01-23 11:43:04
date last changed
2023-01-23 11:43:04
@misc{9107643,
  abstract     = {{Paediatric tumour in brain and spinal cord is the second most common form of cancer in childhood. Previous research has shown inconclusive results regarding the neurocognitive outcomes of patients treated with surgery alone. The purpose of this retrospective, longitudinal study, was to explore the trajectories of neurocognitive functioning for these patients. Participants (N=107) with a paediatric brain tumour diagnosis from Skåne University Hospital were assessed one to six times with age-appropriate Weschler subtests; Vocabulary, Matrix Reasoning, Coding and Digit Span. Neurocognitive scores from assessments were analysed in separate multilevel linear models. The scores were also compared with national age adjusted norms at different time points. Verbal comprehension was the only domain which declined in scores over time. Younger age at diagnosis was associated with poorer neurocognitive development of perceptual reasoning, and processing speed, while patients who were older at diagnosis seemed to recover within these domains post-surgery. Compared to national age norms, participants had lower scores on processing speed and working memory pre- surgery. Seizures and male sex were associated with less favourable outcomes, and further research is needed to understand the underlying biological factors in these specific risks.}},
  author       = {{Herbertsson, Amelie and Houghton, Evelina}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Beyond Survival: Trajectories of neurocognitive functioning in paediatric brain tumour patients treated with surgery alone}},
  year         = {{2023}},
}