Desvendando o diagnóstico tardio em oncologia pediátrica: uma análise dos aspectos e impactos

• DOI: 10.22533/at.ed.90623270912

• Palavras-chave: Diagnóstico tardio; oncologia pediátrica; sistema nervoso central; sinais e sintomas; peregrinação

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

• Abstract: Introduction: The central nervous system (CNS) tumors constitute 20% of all neoplasms in childhood, being the second most common tumor. Besides, they constitute the biggest cause of morbidity and mortality within the childhood tumors, and about 60% of the surviving patients present sequelae due both to neoplastic growth and to the treatment. Therefore, late diagnosis is a negative influence on the prognosis, which can be seen by the inverse relation between time until diagnosis and the survival rate. Objective: To analyze the journey of the pediatric patients with CNS tumors and their families to the reference center. Methods: The present is a retrospective, prospective cohort study, based on chart analyses and questionnaire application. Results: The median patient age is 8 years-old. The median time for diagnosis is 381,12 days. The most frequent medical specialties of the first appointment were pediatrics, medical clinic and ophthalmology. Medical clinic was the specialty related to the shortest time until diagnosis. The most frequent signals and symptoms were the neurologic symptoms, with a frequency of 72%, but which were associated with a long time until diagnosis. Conclusion: The CNS childhood tumors demand from the medical care professionals a high level of suspiciousness. The median time for diagnosis is due mainly to health care system failures. The basic area medical professionals are the ones which perpetuate an early diagnosis the most.