Cognitive changes related to infratentorial brain neoplasms in pediatric patients / Mudanças cognitivas relacionadas a neoplasias cerebrais infratentoriais em pacientes pediátricos

Abstract

Cancer is a set of numerous diseases characterized by the abundant and disordered growth of cells. In the pediatric population, central nervous system tumors account for 20% of neoplasms. In this scenario, it is necessary to highlight that patients with tumors in the posterior fossa and aggressive treatments, such as exposure to cranial radiotherapy, have been associated with a decline in cognitive functioning. Thus, the main objective of this research was to evaluate, through theoretical and empirical studies of national and international literature, the cognitive impact on individuals with brain neoplasms in the posterior fossa region. To achieve this goal, the descriptors "brain neoplasms", "cognitive dysfunction" and "child development" were used in the LILACS-BVS, SciELO, and MEDLINE/PubMed databases, being considered as inclusion criteria articles published in the last five years (2016 -2020) and excluding articles whose methodology was inconsistent and bibliographic reviews; 4 articles were selected as a research sample. Based on the selected articles, it can be identified, in general, that the association between cognitive decline and infratentorial brain neoplasms is due to the form of treatment normally suggested to deal with this disease. Furthermore, a direct relationship was perceived between aggressive treatments – such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy – and long-term decline. However, few articles on the subject were identified, and it is possible to conclude that there is a gap in this segment, making it necessary to develop more research in the area.