Impact of radiation dose on neurocognitive function and quality of life in long-term survivors of childhood brain tumour

Authors

  • Laura Toussaint Danish Centre for Particle Therapy, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark; Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
  • Anne Sophie Lind Helligsø Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark; Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Gødstrup Hospital, Gødstrup, Denmark https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4956-4897
  • Ludvig Paul Muren Danish Centre for Particle Therapy, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark; Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7418-5832
  • Ali Amidi Unit for Psycho Oncology & Health Psychology, Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2921-9797
  • Rikke Hedegaard Dahlrot Department of Oncology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark; Department of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1538-4361
  • Louise Tram Henriksen Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9350-1538
  • Maja Vestmø Maraldo Department of Oncology, Copenhagen University Hospital - Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark; Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6159-5907
  • Martin Skovmos Nielsen Department of Oncology, Aalborg University Hospital and Clinical Cancer Research Center, Aalborg, Denmark https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3955-7266
  • Anouk Kirsten Trip Danish Centre for Particle Therapy, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9600-6236
  • Lisa Maria Wu Unit for Psycho Oncology & Health Psychology, Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark; Department of Psychology, Reykjavik University, Reykjavik, Iceland https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2241-9905
  • Yasmin Lassen-Ramshad Danish Centre for Particle Therapy, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4992-3231

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.2340/1651-226X.2025.43989

Keywords:

pediatrics, central nervous system tumors, quality of life, neurocognition, late effects, radiotherapy

Abstract

Background and purpose: Children treated with radiotherapy (RT) for a brain tumour often exhibit neurocognitive impairment and report lower quality of life (QoL) later in life. The aim of this nationwide cross-sectional cohort study was to explore the impact of RT dose to brain organs at risk (OARs) on neurocognition and QoL in long-term survivors of childhood brain tumours.

Patient/material and methods: A total of 132 survivors of childhood brain tumours, diagnosed from 2001 to 2017 in Denmark, underwent neurocognitive tests and QoL questionnaires at least 5-years post-diagnosis. Neurocognitive assessments were complete and available for 86 patients (61 no-RT/25 RT), and QoL scores for 107 (79 no-RT/28 RT). Mann Whitney U-tests were used to compare scores between no-RT and RT groups. For scores impacted by RT, OAR-specific robust linear regressions were performed to evaluate RT dose effects while adjusting for potential confounders.

Results: Clinically significant overall cognitive impairment was observed for 55% of the neurocognitive sub-cohort, with younger age at treatment time as a significant risk factor, while hydrocephalus status had no impact. There were no statistically significant differences on neurocognitive tests between the RT and no-RT group. However, patients treated with RT had significantly lower scores on the physical and social functioning QoL domains, with mean dose to the pituitary gland and left hippocampus, respectively, as significant predictors.

Interpretation: This cross-sectional study indicates that RT dose-effects, particularly in the pituitary gland and left hippocampus, might contribute to reduced QoL in survivors of childhood brain tumours.

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Published

2025-09-18

How to Cite

Toussaint, L., Lind Helligsø, A. S., Muren, L. P., Amidi, A., Hedegaard Dahlrot, R., Tram Henriksen, L., … Lassen-Ramshad, Y. (2025). Impact of radiation dose on neurocognitive function and quality of life in long-term survivors of childhood brain tumour. Acta Oncologica, 64, 1245–1252. https://doi.org/10.2340/1651-226X.2025.43989

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Vol. 64 (2025): Acta Oncologica

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Original article

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Copyright (c) 2025 Laura Toussaint, Anne Sophie Lind Helligsø, Ludvig Paul Muren, Ali Amidi, Rikke Hedegaard Dahlrot, Louise Tram Henriksen, Maja Vestmø Maraldo, Martin Skovmos Nielsen, Anouk Kirsten Trip, Lisa Maria Wu, Yasmin Lassen-Ramshad

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