Background: Posterior fossa tumor is a type of brain tumor that is located at the borders of both the brain stem and cerebellum. The cerebellum is the brain region in charge of balance and coordination. Pediatric patients diagnosed with posterior fossa tumor have been reported to fall frequently. Objectives: The aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of balance and coordination training in these children. Methods: This randomized control clinical trial (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04528316) was carried out between September 2020 and April 2021 at Children Cancer Hospital-57357. The inclusion criteria were - patients with posterior fossa tumor in maintenance phase and, age between 5-12 years. The exclusion criteria were - patients who had a genetic disorder or suffer from mental retardation, a chronic lung disease, sever cardiomyopathy, or a neuromuscular disease that does not not related to tumor. The study participants were randomly assigned into three groups: Group I/Control group: they received Pilates core stability exercises program, Group II/Postural stability group: They received the same program plus HUMAC balance program, and Group III/Coordination group: They received the same program plus coordination exercises of BOT-2. The semi-parametric proportional odds model was used to compare follow up scores of the Postural stability group vs Control, and Coordination group vs Control, while adjusting for baseline values. All tests were two-sided, with alpha set to 0.05. Results: Sixty children including 38 boys and 22 girls were enrolled in this study. In all three groups, postural stability and coordination improved significantly in terms of modified clinical test of sensory integration of balance, center of pressure, limits of stability, bilateral coordination, and upper-limb coordination. Conclusion: The current study supports the value of adding postural stability and coordination training to the physiotherapy plan for children with posterior fossa tumor. Keywords: Posterior fossa tumor, Children, HUMAC, BOT-2, Postural stability, Balance, Coordination.

The authors have declared no competing interest.

NCT04528316

This study did not receive any funding

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The study was approved by the institutional review board (IRB) at Children's Cancer Hospital Egypt 57357(CCHE-IRB:6/2020) (CHHE-IRB:10/2021). Informed consent was obtained from parents of all participants before starting procedures.

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