S1015
Clinical – Paediatric tumours
ESTRO 2026
essential for disease control, it exposes the developing brain to significant risks of neurocognitive, emotional, and psychosocial sequelae that can affect quality of life (QoL).Our study aims to evaluate anxiety, depression, and QoL in children treated with cranial RT for brain or neighboring tumors and to identify associated clinical and educational factors. Material/Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at the Farhat Hached University Hospital (Sousse, Tunisia) between 2014 and 2024. Patients aged between 6 and 18 years, all in complete remission, were evaluated using validated Arabic versions of standardized questionnaires: SCARED for anxiety, Birleson and Beck inventories for depression, and KIDSCREEN-10 for health-related QoL. Clinical, sociodemographic, and schooling data were analyzed statistically with significance set at p ≤ 0.05. Results: Twenty patients were included with mean age of 12.3 ± 3 years at inclusion, with a male predominance (65%). Medulloblastoma (30%) and astrocytoma (20%) were the most common tumors. RT was delivered mainly with 3D-CRT (90%) at a mean total dose of 54 Gy.A significant post-treatment decline in academic performance was observed (mean GPA: 14.5 → 12.3/20; p = 0.002), along with increased absenteeism (p = 0.015). Clinically significant anxiety was found in 10% of patients, and moderate-to-severe depression in 40% of adolescents. The median KIDSCREEN-10 score was 43, with QoL impairment in 30% of both self- and parent-reports. QoL was better among female patients and significantly lower among patients with social phobia or depressive symptoms (r = − 0.9; p = 0.037). Conclusion: Children treated with cranial RT demonstrate satisfactory overall functioning but remain vulnerable to emotional distress, academic decline, and reduced QoL. These findings emphasize the need for structured multidisciplinary survivorship programs integrating neuropsychological, educational, and psychosocial support. The progressive adoption of proton therapy may further reduce long-term radiation-induced sequelae, improving well-being and neurodevelopmental outcomes in pediatric survivors. Keywords: radiotherapy, children, quality of life, cerebral
Conclusion: PT was effective and feasible for the majority of children with low-grade gliomas. High survival rates were achieved despite unfavourable features like multiple pre-treatments and metastases in a relevant subset of patients. Future studies have to further investigate impact of deferral of radiation therapy and functional outcome after PT. Keywords: Low grade glioma, Proton beam therapy Digital Poster 3066 Assessment of anxiety, depression, and Quality of Life in pediatric patients treated with cranial radiotherapy. Balkiss Ben Ali 1,2 , Nadia Bouzid 1,2 , Rym Zanzouri 1,2 , Mouna El Bakkali 1,2 , Rihem Fayala 1,2 , Ons Bettaieb 1,2 , Sarra Sghaier 1,2 , Amal Chamsi 1,2 , Sabrine Tbessi 1,2 , Dalia Yazid 1,2 , Kenoun Samia 1,2 , Sameh Tebra 1,2 1 Radiotherapy, Farhat Hached Hospital, Sousse, Tunisia. 2 Radiotherapy, Faculty of medicine of sousse, Sousse, Tunisia Purpose/Objective: Pediatric tumors of the central nervous system (CNS) and adjacent structures, such as nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NP) and retinoblastoma, constitute major causes of cancer-related morbidity and mortality in childhood. While cranial radiotherapy (RT) remains
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Mechanically-Assisted Non-Invasive Deep Inspiration Breath-Hold (MANIV-DIBH) in Paediatric Radiotherapy: A First-in-Human Study AUDAG Nicolas 1,2 , DI PERRI Dario 3,4 , VAN OOTEGHEM Geneviève 3,4
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