Description:
<jats:sec><jats:title>Background</jats:title><jats:p>Severe obesity and tumor relapse/progression have impact on long-term prognosis in pediatric brain tumor patients.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods</jats:title><jats:p>In a cross-sectional study, we analyzed nuchal skinfold thickness (NST) on magnetic-resonance imaging (MRI) follow-up monitoring as a parameter for assessment of nuchal adipose tissue in 177 brain tumor patients (40 World Health Organization (WHO) grade 1–2 brain tumor; 31 grade 3–4 brain tumor; 106 craniopharyngioma), and 53 healthy controls. Furthermore, body mass index (BMI), waist-to-height ratio, caliper-measured skinfold thickness, and blood pressure were analyzed for association with NST.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results</jats:title><jats:p>Craniopharyngioma patients showed higher NST, BMI, waist-to-height ratio, and caliper-measured skinfold thickness when compared to other brain tumors and healthy controls. WHO grade 1–2 brain tumor patients were observed with higher BMI, waist circumference and triceps caliper-measured skinfold thickness when compared to WHO grade 3–4 brain tumor patients. NST correlated with BMI, waist-to-height ratio, and caliper-measured skinfold thickness. NST, BMI and waist-to-height ratio were associated with increased blood pressure. In craniopharyngioma patients with hypothalamic involvement/lesion or gross-total resection, rate and degree of obesity were increased.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusions</jats:title><jats:p>NST could serve as a novel useful marker for regional nuchal adipose tissue. NST is highly associated with body mass and waist-to-height ratio, and easily measurable in routine MRI monitoring of brain tumor patients.</jats:p></jats:sec>