The Impact of a Cerebellar Tumour on Language Function in Childhood

Abstract

Background/Aims:Childhood-acquired cerebellar studies to date have appeared to present a concordant pattern of specific neuropsychological profiles depending on lesion site. The aim was to determine the impact of a cerebellar tumour specifically on language function in children by reporting both the general and high-level language abilities of 4 cases with differing sites of hemispheric and vermal involvement. Methods: The language abilities of 4 children (aged from 7 years 9 months to 13 years), treated with surgery and/or radiotherapy for cerebellar tumour 6 months to 3 years previously, were examined. A standardized battery of general and high-level language assessments was administered. Results: Analysis revealed intact abilities across all 4 cases on measures of general language, including receptive language, expressive language, receptive vocabulary and naming. While 2 of the 4 cases also demonstrated intact high-level language skills across all measures, the remaining 2 demonstrated specific deficits in linguistic problem solving at 6 months after treatment. Follow-up assessment of 1 case also demonstrated further decline in this area 12 months later. Conclusion: Findings of high-level language deficits in problem solving in 2 of the 4 cases examined supported previous reports of specific impairments in high-level language and in thinking flexibility and problem solving following cerebellar hemispheric damage in childhood.

Post-operative cerebellar mutism syndrome: rehabilitation issues

“…Early intervention is required with a long-term plan for the management and surveillance of speech and language, as children remain at risk throughout development [15,64,65]. As a group, children receiving surgery and other treatments for brain tumors often experience poor long-term quality of life outcomes due to disorders of speech and language, which include academic failure and loss of friendships that lead to devastating negative impacts upon healthy development and socialization [2,19,33,43,51]. In addition to the effects on existing speech and language functions, skills that are yet to develop are also considered vulnerable, with children failing to acquire or develop skills at the expected rate over time over development [65].…”

Cognitive and language-based sidabilites of children diagnosed with cancer

“…Nonetheless, some studies have shown that radiotherapy and tumours in the right cerebellar hemisphere are associated with language disorders. Deficits in high-level language skills, such as the ability to interpret a respond to a conversation, have been identified in children with tumour in the right cerebellum 17 . In this vein, a focus on the narrative skills of children with brain cancer has been recommended 18 .…”

Speech Pathology Services to Children With Cancer and Nonmalignant Hematological Disorders

“…Children with cancer and nonmalignant hematological disorders (NMHDs) may present with swallowing/feeding dysfunction (eg, dysphagia affecting the oral and pharyngeal phase of the swallow, sensory impairment, behavioral feeding issues) and communication disorders (eg, receptive and expressive language, speech, pragmatics/social language, voice, resonance, stuttering, literacy) that require speech pathology (SP) support (Cornwell, Murdoch, Ward, & Kellie, 2003; Goncalves, Radzinsky, da Silva, Chiari, & Consonni, 2008; Kirk, Howard, & Scott, 1995; Kuruvilla, Perry, Wilson, & El-Hakim, 2009). These disorders may be premorbid, related to lengthy hospitalization, or associated with the child’s cancer or hematological diagnosis (Abramson, Berdon, Ruzal-Shapiro, Stolar, & Garvin, 1993; Ferlito, Rinaldo, & Marioni, 1999; Freeman & Farmer, 1998; Habermann, Kiesler, Dornbusch, & Friedrich, 2000; Ozyar, Cengiz, Gurkaynak, & Atahan, 2005), or treatments and treatment side effects (Buttsworth, Murdoch, & Ozanne, 1993; Docking, Murdoch, & Suppiah, 2007; Epstein et al, 2002; Morgan, Sell, Ryan, Raynsford, & Hayward, 2008; Otmani, 2007; Pollack, Polinko, Albright, Towbin, & Fitz, 1995).…”

“…These children commonly present with transient mutism following tumor resection, with reported rates of 8% to 25% (Siffert et al, 2000), and 50% to 100% of patients will develop dysarthria (an acquired motor speech disorder) after surgery (Cornwell, Murdoch, Ward, & Kellie, 2003; Kingma, Mooij, Metzemaekers, & Leeuw, 1994; Kirk et al, 1995; Pollack et al, 1995). In addition, these children may have receptive language deficits and high-level language impairments (eg, problem solving, inferencing, use of context; Cornwell, Murdoch, Ward, & Morgan, 2003; Docking et al, 2007; Siffert et al, 2000).…”