Cognitive outcome after radiotherapy in brain tumor.

Fiche publication


Date publication

septembre 2015

Auteurs

Membres identifiés du Cancéropôle Est :
Pr NOEL Georges


Tous les auteurs :
Durand T, Bernier MO, Leger I, Taillia H, Noel G, Psimaras D, Ricard D

Résumé

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Survival of brain tumor patients has increased with improvements in cancer treatments. However, treatments like radiotherapy can be neurotoxic and thus new end-points in clinical trials, as well as in individual management, have appeared. This article reviews the cognitive outcomes after radiotherapy in brain tumor patients, focusing on radiation-induced impairments, and then discusses actual cognitive assessment limitations. RECENT FINDINGS: Although physiopathology of radiation-induced cognitive impairments remains elusive, a general course can be described as acute, early-delayed, and late-delayed effects corresponding to different processes. The last is of high interest because the related impairments are irreversible. In this context, a cognitive assessment should be performed as often as possible, but actual tools are unfortunately not developed. Nevertheless, with respect to neuro-oncologic specificities, new cognitive tools could be developed to overcome these limitations. SUMMARY: Improvements in neuropsychologic assessment for brain tumor patients are urgently needed. A dynamic vision of radiation-induced cognitive impairments appears inevitable and should lead to a change in actual considerations about neurotoxicity follow-up.

Référence

Curr Opin Oncol. 2015 Sep 13.