Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33251768›Full record

ArticlePediatric blood & cancer2021

Brain biomarkers and neuropsychological outcomes of pediatric posterior fossa brain tumor survivors treated with surgical resection with or without adjuvant chemotherapy.

Mary C Baron Nelson, Sharon H O'Neil, Jeffrey Tanedo, Sofia Dhanani, Jemily Malvar, Christopher Nuñez, Marvin D Nelson, Benita Tamrazi, Jonathan L Finlay, Vidya Rajagopalan and 1 more

Open access · greenAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Pediatric blood & cancer, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
0.6field-weighted citation impact, top 30% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed, 12 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Neuropsychological outcome in pediatric brain tumor survivors treated with proton radiation prior to age 4 years.Child's nervous system : ChNS : official journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery · 2025
    Article
  3. Psychosocial and executive functioning late effects in pediatric brain tumor survivors after proton radiation.Child's nervous system : ChNS : official journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery · 2024
    Article
  4. Article
  5. Review
  6. Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Mary C Baron NelsonDepartments of Medical Education and Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine of USC, Los Angeles, California.ORCID 0000-0002-4101-4877
Sharon H O'NeilRadiology Department, CIBORG Laboratory, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.
Jeffrey TanedoRadiology Department, CIBORG Laboratory, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.
Sofia DhananiThe Saban Research Institute, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.
Jemily MalvarDivision of Hematology, Oncology and Blood and Marrow Transplantation, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.
Christopher NuñezNeuropsychologist in private practice, Los Angeles, California.
Marvin D NelsonDepartment of Radiology, Keck School of Medicine of USC, Los Angeles, California.
Benita TamraziDepartment of Radiology, Keck School of Medicine of USC, Los Angeles, California.
Jonathan L FinlayThe Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, Ohio.ORCID 0000-0002-8312-6586
Vidya RajagopalanRadiology Department, CIBORG Laboratory, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.
Natasha LeporeRadiology Department, CIBORG Laboratory, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.
Children's Hospital of Los Angeles · USNationwide Children's Hospital · US

Funding

Southern California Clinical and Translational Science InstituteUL1TR001855 · NCATS · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA · PI Thomas A Buchanan, Michele D. Kipke · 2016 to 2026
$81.3M
Southern California Clinical and Translational Science InstituteUL1TR000130 · NCATS · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA · PI BUCHANAN, THOMAS A · 2012 to 2015
$36.0M
Influence of placental impairments and maternal-fetal environment on neurodevelopmental outcomes in Congenital Heart DiseaseK01HL153942 · NHLBI · CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF LOS ANGELES · PI RAJAGOPALAN, VIDYA · 2020 to 2024
$735k
Treatment-related CNS Injury in Children with Brain TumorsK23NR014902 · NINR · CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF LOS ANGELES · PI BARON NELSON, MARY · 2014 to 2016
$396k
NCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR000130NCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR001855NHLBI NIH HHS K01 HL153942NINR NIH HHS K23 NR014902
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeChildren with brain tumors experience cognitive late effects, often related to cranial radiation. We sought to determine differential effects of surgery and chemotherapy on brain structure and neuropsychological outcomes in children who did not receive cranial radiation therapy (CRT).

methodsTwenty-eight children with a history of posterior fossa tumor (17 treated with surgery, 11 treated with surgery and chemotherapy) underwent neuroimaging and neuropsychological assessment a mean of 4.5 years (surgery group) to 9 years (surgery + chemotherapy group) posttreatment, along with 18 healthy sibling controls. Psychometric measures assessed IQ, language, executive functions, processing speed, memory, and social-emotional functioning. Group differences and correlations between diffusion tensor imaging findings and psychometric scores were examined.

resultsThe z-score mapping demonstrated fractional anisotropy (FA) values were ≥2 standard deviations lower in white matter tracts, prefrontal cortex gray matter, hippocampus, thalamus, basal ganglia, and pons between patient groups, indicating microstructural damage associated with chemotherapy. Patients scored lower than controls on visuoconstructional reasoning and memory (P ≤ .02). Lower FA in the uncinate fasciculus (R = -0.82 to -0.91) and higher FA in the thalamus (R = 0.73-0.91) associated with higher IQ scores, and higher FA in the thalamus associated with higher scores on spatial working memory (R = 0.82).

conclusionsPosterior fossa brain tumor treatment with surgery and chemotherapy affects brain microstructure and neuropsychological functioning years into survivorship, with spatial processes the most vulnerable. Biomarkers indicating cellular changes in the thalamus, hippocampus, pons, prefrontal cortex, and white matter tracts associate with lower psychometric scores.

Indexed as

AdolescentAnisotropyAntineoplastic AgentsBrain InjuriesBrain NeoplasmsChildCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHippocampusHumansInfratentorial NeoplasmsMaleNeuropsychological TestsNeurotoxicity SyndromesPonsPrefrontal CortexAntineoplastic Agentsdiffusion tensor imagingneuroimagingneuropsychologypediatric brain tumorsurvivors of childhood cancer

Identifiers

PMID33251768
PMCPMC7755691
OpenAlexW3108925112

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.