Abstract
BACKGROUND: Adaptive behavior is defined as the effectiveness and degree to which an individual meets social/cultural standards of personal independence and social responsibility. Patients treated for brain tumor are at risk of alteration of adaptive behaviour that, with a reduced intellectual function, makes diagnosis of mental retard. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the adaptive behaviour of patients treated for malignant brain tumor in the first three years of life and the variables that may correlate with its alteration. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twelve survivors of brain tumor diagnosed in the first three years of life followed in the Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Department of Padua between January 2000 and December 2020 were enrolled in this study. We defined the level of the adaptive behaviour by evaluation adaptive behavior questionnaire (ABAS II) completed by the parents. RESULTS: None of the patients shows a high level of adaptive behavior. Preliminary evidences suggest that, the level of adaptive behavior may be influenced by the sex, irradiation and time from the end of treatment. In details, females show a higher level of performance than males, patients not treated with radiotherapy performed better than patients irradiated and longer-term survivors have a better level of adaptive behaviour. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms that patients treated for brain tumor show a lower level of adaptive behaviour than peers. The future objective is to assess adaptive behaviour at many times to recognize the problem early.