Varied effectiveness of outpatient rehabilitation interventions in reducing long-term complications following childhood brain tumours: a systematic review.

Introduction: Brain tumours are a commonly diagnosed solid cancer in children and young adults. Many survivors experience long-term complications. We conducted a systematic review to assess the effectiveness of outpatient rehabilitation interventions in reducing long-term complications following childhood brain tumours. Materials and methods: Three databases were searched to November 2024. Two reviewers independently screened studies, assessed quality, and extracted data. Outcomes were categorised as primary [functional, psychological and Quality of Life (QoL)] and secondary (social, cognitive and sleep disturbance). Results: Eight papers were included. Most studies evaluated physical therapy interventions, assessing changes in functional outcomes, which were associated with the greatest proportion of significant improvements ( Discussion: Although studies reported positive functional, psychological, QoL and social outcomes, following various interventions, clear conclusions of the long-term effectiveness of rehabilitation interventions cannot be made. Further research is needed with longer-term follow-up, so effective rehabilitation strategies can be determined for this population. Better research could help develop interventions at a health-system level that could improve function, perceived wellbeing, and QoL of children and young people with brain tumours.