@Article{Hus2025,
journal="Medycyna Paliatywna/Palliative Medicine",
issn="2081-0016",
volume="17",
number="2",
year="2025",
title="Diagnosis of chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment in children",
abstract="The development of anticancer therapies has led to a significant extension of paediatric oncological patients’ survival rates and accentuated long-term side effects of the treatment. Increasing attention is being paid to the phenomenon of chemobrain, which involves the occurrence of cognitive impairment in patients undergoing chemotherapy. It has a significant negative impact on their quality of life and leads to subsequent problems with functioning in the society. This article aims to summarise current reports in the field of chemobrain diagnostics. Psychological tests are considered a basic diagnostic tool and can be used both for the objective assessment of existing disorders using intelligence scales, as well as for subjective assessment including self- and parent-reports. As a complementation of the diagnostic process, it is proposed that magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomographyas well as laboratory testing of cerebrospinal fluid be used. Additional studies reveal changes in the central nervous system, confirming the toxic effect of chemotherapeutics on neurons and glial cells. It allows us to predict the appearance of chemobrain-type disorders in the future. Effective and easily accessible diagnostic tools are key to preventing the negative effects of cognitive impairment in paediatric oncology patients. It is necessary to carry out further work on creating unified guidelines allowing for the accurate identification of children affected by chemobrain.",
author="Hus, Zuzanna A.
and Piejak, Małgorzata
and Mikusek-Pham Van, Marcin
and Janota, Aleksandra
and Kołodziejczyk, Katarzyna
and Dzierżanowski, Tomasz",
pages="84--91",
doi="10.5114/pm.2025.153196",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.5114/pm.2025.153196"
}