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Intellectual and Psychosocial Complications of Posterior Fossa Tumor Surgery and Supplemental (Radiation Therapy/Chemotherapy) Treatment

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Posterior Fossa Tumors

Part of the book series: Principles of Pediatric Neurosurgery ((PRINCPEDIATR))

Abstract

Some remedies are worse than the disease. It might be alluring to apply this idea to the treatment of malignant posterior fossa tumors. This would not be quite relevant since, without treatment, death is the unavoidable result of the disease. However, the problem is not only to cure the tumor, but also to assure an acceptable quality of life for the child. From this point of view, in spite of the fact that the association of surgery and radiotherapy has remarkably increased the survival of children presenting with certain malignant neoplasms of the central nervous system, the enthusiasm of the pioneers should now be somewhat reduced. The improved survival rate overshadowed for a while the late therapy-related effects: intellectual impairment, endocrine dysfunction, and secondary neoplasms.

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Authors
  1. Elizabeth Hoppe-Hirsch
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Rome, “La Sapienza,”, 30 Viale dell’Università, Rome, Italy

    Anthony J. Raimondi M.D.

  2. Hôpital des Enfantes de la Timone, Rue Sainte Pierre, 13005, Marseille, France

    Maurice Choux M.D.

  3. Istituto di Neurochirurgia, Università Cattolica del Sacre Cuore, Largo Gemelli 8, 00168, Rome, Italy

    Concezio Di Rocco M.D.

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© 1993 Springer-Verlag New York Inc.

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Hoppe-Hirsch, E. (1993). Intellectual and Psychosocial Complications of Posterior Fossa Tumor Surgery and Supplemental (Radiation Therapy/Chemotherapy) Treatment. In: Raimondi, A.J., Choux, M., Di Rocco, C. (eds) Posterior Fossa Tumors. Principles of Pediatric Neurosurgery. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-9299-6_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-9299-6_14

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4613-9301-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4613-9299-6

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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