EPID-04. MORBIDITY IN PAEDIATRIC BRAIN TUMOURS: 17 YEARS’ EXPERIENCE IN A TERTIARY NEUROSURGICAL UNIT

The treatment of paediatric brain tumours has shown significant improvement over the last 2 decades. The aim of our study is to evaluate the prevalence of various effects among this population within our institution. 102 patients diagnosed with a brain tumour at the age of 0–18 years between 2002 and 2018 were identified within a single paediatric institution. Data was collected retrospectively based on electronic medical records. Medulloblastoma (20.6%) was the most common subtype followed by pilocytic astrocytoma (18.6%) and craniopharyngioma (11.8%). Overall, the 5-years survival rate was approximately 77%. Endocrine dysfunction was reported in 36% of the population, mainly due to tumour located in suprasellar region and irradiation causing progressive pituitary dysfunction. Neurological disorders such as epilepsy, weakness, cranial nerves palsy, visual and hearing impairment were present in 46% of the population. Importantly, 20.4% of patients who received chemotherapy had some degree of sensorineural hearing loss. 16% of the population suffered from impaired neurocognition which is likely an underestimation as screening could not be performed on all patients. Other significant complications are infections (12%) and ventriculoperitoneal shunt dysfunction (7%). Most of these effects can be attributed to direct injury to the developing brain caused by the tumour or related to its treatment during surgical excision and the long term side effects of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Morbidities in various domains can pose significant challenges to survivors of paediatric brain tumours. Active screening and surveillance of these effects can help improve the health outcomes of survivors of paediatric brain tumours.