SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Neurosci.
Sec. Translational Neuroscience
Volume 19 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnins.2025.1587059
Long-term Neurocognitive and Behavioral Outcomes in Survivors of Pediatric Brain Tumors: A Systematic Review
Provisionally accepted
Bharathi Gadad1*
Tirath Patel2
Pulkit Johar3
Vaishnavi Kanisetti4Sahithi Talacheru4Vadali Avinash5Arghadip Das6Sweta Sahu7
Abhishek Goyak8Megan Szobody1
Tori Sayers1
Mushfiq Shaikh1
Nikhilesh Anand1
Kelsey Baker1- 1The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Edinburg, United States
- 2Department of neurosurgery, Trinity medical sciences university school of Medicine, Kingstown, Saint Vincent and Grenadines, St. Vincent, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- 3All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India
- 4Bhaskar Medical College, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India
- 5Dr. Pinnamaneni Siddhartha Institute of Medical Sciences & Research Foundation, Chinaoutapalli, Andhra Pradesh, India
- 6Nil Ratan Sircar Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
- 7Jagadguru Jayadeva Murugarajendra Medical College, Davangere, Karnataka, India
- 8JFK Medical Center, Edison, New Jersey, United States
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Brain tumors are among the most common neoplasms in children. These patients suffer from neurocognitive impairment, treatment-related side effects, and experience a subpar quality of life (QoL), affecting academic endeavors, social interaction, and mental well-being. This review investigated different long-term neurocognitive and behavioral outcomes in pediatric brain tumor survivors and evaluated various effective treatment methods. We identified 75 relevant articles published between 2019 and 2024 using PubMed, PMC, Embase, and Google Scholar databases.Duplicates were removed, and 14 studies were finally selected following the PRISMA guidelines.Initial observations noted significant variations in the study methodologies and inclusion criteria.Our study showed that children treated with proton radiotherapy experienced better neurocognitive and academic results than those treated with photon radiotherapy. Cognitive abilities were affected irrespective of the treatment, especially in early stage radiotherapy. Psychosocial impacts such as low self-esteem, depressive symptoms, and increased suicidal ideation were also demonstrated.Improvement in long-term outcomes was noted within therapeutic plans devoid of delayed highdose radiotherapy and marrow ablation chemotherapy. Increasing our understanding of the longterm effects associated with brain tumors using our current treatment methodology will help us formulate better treatment protocols and improve survivors' quality of life.
Keywords: neurocognition, Behavior, pediatric tumor, Systematic review, malignancy
Received: 03 Mar 2025; Accepted: 21 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Gadad, Patel, Johar, Kanisetti, Talacheru, Avinash, Das, Sahu, Goyak, Szobody, Sayers, Shaikh, Anand and Baker. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Bharathi Gadad, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Edinburg, United States
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