UNDERSTANDING LATE DIAGNOSIS IN PEDIATRIC NEURO-ONCOLOGY: AN ANALYSES OF ASPECTS AND IMPACTS

• DOI: 10.22533/at.ed.1593662329082

• Palavras-chave: Late diagnosis; pediatric oncology; central nervous system; Signs and symptoms; pilgrimage.

• Keywords: Late diagnosis; pediatric oncology; central nervous system; Signs and symptoms; pilgrimage.

• Abstract:

  Introduction: Central nervous system (CNS) tumors comprise 20% of all childhood cancers, being the second most frequent group of tumors. Furthermore, they constitute the major cause of morbidity and mortality among childhood cancers, and approximately 60% of surviving patients have sequelae due to both neoplastic growth and treatment. Therefore, late diagnosis negatively influences prognosis, which is evidenced by the inverse relationship between time to diagnosis and survival. Objective: To analyze the pilgrimage of pediatric patients with CNS tumors to the reference center. Method: This is a retrospective-prospective cohort study, with analysis of medical records and application of a questionnaire. Results: The mean age of the patients was 8 years. The mean time to diagnosis was 381.12 days. The most popular medical specialties for the first consultation were pediatrics, internal medicine and ophthalmology. Clinical medicine was the specialty associated with the shortest time to diagnosis. The most frequent first signs and symptoms were neurological symptoms, with a frequency of 72%, which were associated with a long pilgrimage time. Conclusion: CNS tumors in pediatric patients require a high level of suspicion from health professionals. The patients' pilgrimage time to Barretos was mainly due to failures in the health system. The professionals who most perpetuate early diagnosis are specialists in the basic area.