Skip to main content

Side Menu Card

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Researchers Find Pediatric Brain Tumor Survivors Are At-Risk for Social Deficits, Fewer Friendships, and Poor Peer Relationships

News Brief
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Researchers Find Pediatric Brain Tumor Survivors Are At-Risk for Social Deficits, Fewer Friendships, and Poor Peer Relationships
Study is the first to demonstrate how disruption in white matter is related to social function in pediatric cancer survivors
November 26, 2024

In a recent study, researchers at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) demonstrated that children treated for brain tumors face persistent social challenges, including limited friendships and reduced peer acceptance, extending into adulthood. The study, which was published in the journal Neuro-Oncology, is the first to link disruptions in white matter connectivity to impaired social functioning in survivors of pediatric brain tumors.

As more children survive pediatric brain tumors, clinicians noticed that these patients experienced delayed cognitive effects that pose challenges as they navigate their social milieu. The causes of these social impairments are unclear, but researchers speculated they stem from tumor- and treatment-induced changes in brain networks and function. However, until now, studies addressing the direct link between structural connectivity in the brain, or white matter, and social functioning in this group of survivors have been limited. 

Matthew C. Hocking, PhD
Matthew C. Hocking, PhD

“White matter is essential for communication between different brain regions and it plays a critical role in the processing of social information, but it can be disrupted by brain tumor-directed therapies,” said Matthew C. Hocking, PhD, a psychologist who works with the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, the Cancer Center and the Neuro-Oncology Program at CHOP. “If we understand what is happening in the brain of survivors of pediatric brain tumors as it relates to their social function, we can take steps to develop interventions and ultimately, improve long-term outcomes.”

In the study, which involved collaboration with John Herrington, PhD, Director of CHOP’s Emotion and Developmental Laboratory, and his team at the Center for Autism Research, researchers used neuroimaging to evaluate 19 survivors of pediatric brain tumors and 19 typically developing controls (TDCs) matched by age, gender and IQ. The patients, aged 8 to 17, were diagnosed at least five years before the study and completed tumor-directed treatments at least two years earlier. The study team analyzed the patients’ white matter connectivity using a range of tools to map the connections between brain regions. These analyses help researchers understand how diseases or treatments affect the brain’s communication networks. 

John D. Herrington, PhD
John Herrington, PhD

The researchers concluded that white matter connectivity is significantly diminished in survivors of pediatric brain tumors and reduced connectivity was related to neurological risk and poor peer relationship quality. They noted that the decreased connectivity was driven by several medical factors such as chemotherapy, recurrence and multimodal therapy. Connectivity metrics were strongly associated with peer relationship quality and social challenges among the survivors of pediatric brain tumors and with broader social difficulties across the entire cohort. 

“Additional neuroimaging research is needed to evaluate associations between brain connectivity metrics and social functioning in survivors of pediatric brain tumors,” said Hocking. “In the future, we hope our study will be foundational in identifying the mechanisms of social challenges for this group of survivors and lead to efforts that improve their quality of life as they navigate life post-treatment.”

The research was supported in part by the National Cancer Institute (K07CA178100), National Institute of Mental Health (RC1MH08879, K23MH086111 and R21MH092615); the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center funded by the National Institute of Child and Human Development (I5U54HD086984), the Pennsylvania Department of Health (SAP 4100042728 and SAP 4100047863), Pfizer, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (6672); and Shire Pharmaceuticals. 

Hocking et al. “White matter connectivity and social functioning in survivors of pediatric brain tumor.” J Neurooncol. Online June 5, 2024. DOI: 10.1007/s11060-024-04724-0.

Featured in this article

Specialties & Programs

Contact us

Jump back to top