A lot of times parents see personality changes and assume that it’s some kind of direct effect of the tumor. It’s actually unusual for pediatric tumors to be in the frontal lobe [the area of the brain that helps manage personality and behavior], and so a lot of the personality changes we see are more from kind of developmental arrest and some of the medications that we give. These are kids that are not going to school, they are home, or they are showing their contempt for the situation in their own ways. They’re oftentimes on steroids, which can cause some very abrupt and startling personality changes. I say personality changes are present but transient.
One of the reasons I say that I love working with kids and I love working in oncology, is these kids come out the other end as some of the most insightful, resilient human beings I’ve ever met. And so long term, I think the personality changes we see are about you know a child going through a remarkable experience and coming out well and well-adjusted on the other side.
This Q&A was adapted from Connecticut Public Radio’s “Yale Cancer Answers,” a weekly program that shares information on the latest cancer breakthroughs and treatments through conversations with experts from Yale Cancer Center.
