Brain Tumors
Survivorship & Long-term Care
The majority of children and adolescents diagnosed with pediatric brain tumors will survive into adulthood. Many of them will face physical, psychological, social and intellectual challenges directly related to their treatment and will require ongoing assessment and specialized care to maximize their performance at school as well as in performing skills they will use throughout adulthood. To address the needs of this growing community of brain tumor survivors, Dana-Farber/Children's Hospital Cancer Care established the Stop & Shop Family Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Outcomes Clinic.
Today, more than 900 pediatric brain tumor survivors of all ages are followed by the Outcomes Clinic, a multi-disciplinary program designed to address long-term health and social issues for families and survivors of childhood brain tumors. Survivors visit the Outcomes Clinic each year for a comprehensive meeting with multiple sub-specialists who meet before and after the patient's visit to coordinate care. Some of the post-treatment services provided by the Outcomes Clinic include:
- monitoring for tumor recurrences (performed by obtaining MRIs on a regular basis)
- intellectual function evaluation
- endocrine evaluation and treatment
- neurologic assessment
- psychosocial care
- hearing and vision monitoring
- ovarian dysfunction evaluation and treatment
- motor function evaluation and physical therapy
- complementary medicine
Because of the type of treatment required, children treated for brain tumors can experience changes in intellectual and motor function that affect their learning. Among several programs addressing these needs are the School Liaison and Back to School Programs. Both provide several individualized services to ease children's return to school and maximize their ability to have a successful learning experience.
In addition to providing thorough and compassionate care, our Outcomes Clinic specialists conduct innovative survivorship research and provide continuing education for staff, patients and families.
To learn more about our services or to schedule an appointment, please visit the Outcomes Clinic's home page or call us at (617) 632-2680.
