Maintenance of multidomain neurocognitive functions in pediatric patients after proton beam therapy: A prospective case-series study

Appl Neuropsychol Child. 2019 Oct-Dec;8(4):389-395. doi: 10.1080/21622965.2018.1471996. Epub 2018 Jun 29.

Abstract

Proton Beam Therapy (PBT) was developed to minimize the harmful results of radiation therapy as treatment for brain tumors. This study examined the neurocognitive outcomes of PBT in pediatric patients. A total of 8 patients, who received either PBT or photon radiotherapy (XRT), were evaluated with multiple cognitive functions, which include intelligence, memory, executive functions, and attention. Most of patients performed average-to-superior levels of neurocognitive functions (NCF), except that a deterioration of executive functions was revealed in two patients receiving XRT. This study might be the first one to show the maintenance of multidomain NCF after PBT.

Keywords: Maintenance; Proton Beam Therapy; neurocognitive functions; pediatric; prospective.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Attention / radiation effects
  • Brain Neoplasms / complications
  • Brain Neoplasms / radiotherapy*
  • Child
  • Cognitive Dysfunction / etiology
  • Cognitive Dysfunction / physiopathology*
  • Cranial Irradiation / adverse effects*
  • Executive Function / radiation effects
  • Humans
  • Intelligence / radiation effects
  • Memory / radiation effects
  • Mental Processes / radiation effects*
  • Proton Therapy / adverse effects*
  • Space Perception / radiation effects
  • Visual Perception / radiation effects