C-51 Long Term Neuropsychological Follow-Up of Radiation Induced Cognitive Decline (RICD) in Cerebellar Medulloblastoma

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Abstract Objective We expanded upon an early case study suggesting long-term, sequential neurocognitive evaluation and academic interventions following pediatric cerebellar medulloblastoma. This five-year-old patient (now forty) has indeed undergone lifespan assessment and clearly benefitted from appropriate interventions to date. Method This left-handed, white, male is status post (s/p) gross total resection and whole brain radiation. In adulthood, he developed radiation necrosis with hemorrhage and refractory seizures (s/p right temporal lobectomy). More recently, radiation induced bilateral parietal meningiomas were identified (s/p gamma knife). Results We analyzed cognitive, medical/oncological, imaging and interventional data at developmentally meaningful time points and found consistent declines in intellectual skills and cognitive function spanning attention/concentration, processing speed, visual perceptual/organization and visually based learning/memory; however, we noted stabilization and even improvement in important areas. Areas of age-appropriate functioning were noted in expressive vocabulary, verbal abstract reasoning, delayed verbal memory, and problem-solving, among others. Conclusions Although some studies have addressed long-term outcomes in pediatric medulloblastoma, we provide a unique perspective to the literature by documenting serial neurocognitive findings in addition to interventions across the lifespan. Our findings suggest that appropriate academic interventions/neurocognitive rehabilitation strategies are in fact meaningful at the individual level and propose that a focus on strengths can improve outcomes. We propose that this previously recommended model of assessment/intervention truly become the available standard of care in all pediatric oncologic populations.