Cognitive Outcomes After Brain Substructure-informed Radiation Planning in Pediatric Patients

Launched by SIDNEY KIMMEL COMPREHENSIVE CANCER CENTER AT JOHNS HOPKINS · Dec 13, 2022

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is looking at how to better plan radiation treatment for children with brain tumors or head and neck cancers. The main goal is to see if it’s possible to reduce the amount of radiation that reaches important areas of the brain related to thinking and learning. By doing this, researchers hope to lessen any problems with thinking and learning that might occur after treatment. Children receiving radiation therapy will undergo tests to evaluate their cognitive abilities, as well as MRI scans to monitor changes in their brains over time. The study will also include children who have survived a brain tumor for at least two years and healthy children for comparison.

To be eligible for this trial, participants need to be between 1 and 25 years old and must have a brain tumor that requires radiation therapy. Those who have already completed radiation therapy must have done so at least two years prior and should not have experienced a recurrence of their cancer. Throughout the study, participants can expect to undergo neurocognitive testing and MRI imaging. This research aims to understand how different radiation plans affect brain function in children and to improve treatment strategies in the future.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• • 1. STRATUM A
• • 1. Eligibility Criteria
• • aged 1 to \<26 years of age
• • tumor must be located in the brain or adjacent to the brain including but not limited to nasopharynx, paranasal sinuses and orbit
• • treatment must include radiation therapy (either proton or photon)
• • patients must not have completed radiation therapy
• • 2. Exclusion Criteria
• • pregnancy
• • patients who are not able to undergo neuro-cognitive testing, including children lacking English comprehension or children with premorbid neurological/neurodevelopmental disorders such as Down's syndrome or autism
• • 2. STRATUM B
• • 1. Eligibility Criteria
• • diagnosed with a brain tumor at \<26 years of age
• • received radiation to the brain as part of therapy
• • time from radiation start to study enrollment is ≥ 2 years
• • there has not been disease recurrence from time of most recent radiation treatment to study enrollment
• • 2. Exclusion Criteria
• • patients who are not able to undergo neuro-cognitive testing, including children lacking English comprehension or children with premorbid neurological/neurodevelopmental disorders such as Down's syndrome or autism
• • 3. STRATUM C
• • 1. Eligibility Criteria
• • must be aged 5 to \<26 years of age
• • must be able to complete research imaging without sedation
• • 2. Exclusion Criteria
• • must not have any major psychiatric, neurologic or medical diagnosis