Comportamento, competência social e funcionamento executivo de crianças e adolescentes sobreviventes de tumores de fossa posterior

Abstract

Epidemiological data from the National Cancer Institute (INCA, 2016) estimate that pediatric cancer correspond up to 1 to 3% of the total cancer incidence in Brazil, accounting up for 12.600 new cases annually. Despite improvement in diagnostic measures and elevated survival rates in recent years, treatment for brain tumors is still associated to elevated neurotoxicity and significantly neuropsychogical impairments, including academic, cognitive and behavioral changes. In pediatric population, nervous system tumors mostly develops (60%) in the posterior fossa. It is established that children who survive these tumors are challenged with significative neurocognitive damage. Previous studies highlight intellectual, attentional, process speed, visual memory and executive function impairments after posterior fossa tumor treatment. Consequently, these children can exhibit poor academic performance, low vocational success and impaired behavior. Two non-excluding hypothesis are highlight as alternatives for comprehension for the emergency of these impairments. The first one suggests that diffuse damage to the neuronal white matter due to the radiotherapy is one of the possible causes to the observed impairments, while the second one suggests that cerebellar damage is the responsible for the cognitive, behavioral and affective impairments. Examining how disease and it´s treatment influences the daily lives of survivor’s highlights how academic and social impairments manifests in the functional capacity of these children, their learning potential and vocational success and, mostly, their quality of life. This study aims to characterize the behavioral profile and social competence of children survivors of posterior fossa tumors. Additionally, this study aims to correlate behavior problems and social problems - as evaluated by their parents and caregivers - and executive functioning of this clinic population. Eighteen pediatric survivors of posterior fossa tumors have participated in this study. It was found above average prevalence of psychiatric syndromes and marked behavior problems and altered social competence in both clinical groups. Statistical significant correlations between behavioral measures and executive functioning were found.