Frequency and characterization of cognitive impairments in patients diagnosed with paediatric central nervous system tumours: a systematic review

BackgroundThis systematic review has been conducted with the aim of characterizing cognitive deficits and analyzing their frequency in survivors of paediatric Central Nervous System tumours. Materials and methodsAll literature published up to January 2023 was retrieved searching the databases PubMed, Cochrane, APA PsycInfo and CINAHL. The following set of pre-defined inclusion criteria were then individually applied to the selected articles in their full-text version: i) Retrospective/prospective longitudinal observational studies including only patients diagnosed with primary cerebral tumours at <= 21 years (range 0-21); ii) Studies including patients evaluated for neuro-cognitive and neuro-psychological deficits from their diagnosis and/or from anti-tumoral therapies; iii) Studies reporting standardized tests evaluating patients' neuro-cognitive and neuro-psychological performances; iv) Patients with follow-ups >= 2 years from the end of their anti-tumoral therapies; v) Studies reporting frequencies of cognitive deficits. Results39 studies were included in the analysis. Of these, 35 assessed intellectual functioning, 30 examined memory domains, 24 assessed executive functions, 22 assessed attention, 16 examined visuo-spatial skills, and 15 explored language. A total of 34 studies assessed more than one cognitive function, only 5 studies limited their analysis on a single cognitive domain. Attention impairments were the most recurrent in this population, with a mean frequency of 52.3% after a median period post-treatment of 11.5 years. The other cognitive functions investigated in the studies showed a similar frequency of impairments, with executive functions, language, visuospatial skills and memory deficits occurring in about 40% of survivors after a similar post-treatment period. Longitudinal studies included in the systematic review showed a frequent decline over time of intellectual functioning. ConclusionsSurvivors of paediatric Central Nervous System tumours experience cognitive sequelae characterized by significant impairments in the attention domain (52.3%), but also in the other cognitive functions. Future studies in this research field need to implement more cognitive interventions and effective, but less neurotoxic, tumour therapies to preserve or improve neurocognitive functioning and quality of life of this population.

Automated summary

This systematic review aims to characterize cognitive deficits in survivors of paediatric Central Nervous System tumours and analyze their frequency. The most common cognitive impairment in this population is attention impairments, occurring in 52.3% of individuals. Other cognitive functions, such as executive functions, language, visuospatial skills, and memory, are also frequently impaired, affecting approximately 40% of survivors. Longitudinal studies show a decline in intellectual functioning over time. Future research should focus on implementing cognitive interventions and less neurotoxic tumor therapies to improve the neurocognitive functioning and quality of life of this population.