Verbal Cognitive Functioning and Learning in Girls Treated for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia By Chemotherapy With or Without Cranial Irradiation

Neuropsychological problems have frequently been reported following treatment of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL), however, partly because of the heterogeneity of the previously studied samples, the specific nature of these deficits is still a matter of debate. These problems, however, appear to be related more to the combination of cranial radiation therapy (CRT) and intrathecal chemotherapy (ITC) than to ITC alone. In this study, we evaluated a homogenous group of l9 girls between the ages of 7 and 11 years, 30 months after the completion of treatment. Nine received cranial radiation and chemotherapy and 10 were treated with chemotherapy alone. The patients were compared to 10 normal healthy controls. Neuropsychological tests included the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition (WISC-III), the California Verbal Learning Test-Children's Version (CVLT-C), and the Calculation and Passage Comprehension subtests of the Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery-Revised. Results confirmed the presence of a verbal learning deficit in ALL girls treated with the combination of ITC and CRT. The ITC and CRT group scored significantly lower than the healthy controls on the Passage Comprehension subtest and on 5 of the 6 verbal subtests of the WISC-III. Furthermore, compared to nonirradiated patients and healthy normal controls, the ITC and CRT group was impaired on the Freedom from Distractibility index of the WISC-III, indicating an auditory-verbal attention deficit. On the CVLT-C, the ITC and CRT group was particularly impaired on the second half of the learning trials compared to the other two groups, showing a plateau in their performance. The ITC group was not different from the healthy control group, suggesting a less detrimental effect of the ITC alone on verbal abilities. Globally, these results indicate a deficit affecting auditory attention and verbal learning in girls who receive ITC and CRT, which may suggest the necessity for special educational assistance for these children.