Abstract
BACKGROUND
Germinoma are the most frequent type of intracranial germ cell tumour. Within nursing clinical practice an increased prevalence of psychiatric manifestations, allergies, and weight gain throughout treatment and into survivorship within the germinoma population has been observed. There is only limited literature about these problems available.
METHODS
A retrospective review of clinical presentation, psychiatric co-morbidity, therapeutic course, and follow-up of 27 Germinoma patients (6.2-17 years) diagnosed and treated at a tertiary care center from 2008-2021 was performed. In addition, the presence and occurrence of allergies and weight changes throughout their therapy was reviewed.
RESULTS
Nearly half of the Germinoma patients (n=11) (suprasellar, pineal, basal ganglia) were diagnosed with pre-existing psychiatric co-morbidity (anxiety, depression, mood disorder and eating disorder) as per DSM-5 criteria, more commonly verified after their brain tumour diagnosis and persistent beyond treatment. Three of 27 (11%) patients indicated allergies (medication, food) at diagnosis. Seventeen of the 27 (63%) patients presented with allergies throughout their therapy (medication, tape, cleaning products, blood products). Six (35%) of those patients developed anaphylactic reaction to Etoposide and/or blood products. Eight of the patients (suprasellar & pineal) were found to have a significant weight gain throughout their treatment and two (pineal & suprasellar) were found to have significant weight loss, the rest of the cohort remained stable. The impact of tumour location (suprasellar, pineal) on the specific problems is ongoing.
CONCLUSION
The findings of this retrospective review could guide clinical practice. The potential higher incidence of psychiatric disorders should prompt practitioners to upfront screening and throughout therapy to ensure adequate support. Allergy prevalence in pediatrics is variable but an allergy occurrence of 35% is elevated in comparison to the general population and therefore increased awareness of allergies within this population is important for the bedside nurse. Lastly, early involvement of dieticians to aid in weight management seems crucial.