[Neurological and psychological sequelae in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia who had received radiotherapy and intrathecal methotrexate]

Abstract

Our objective was to compare the neurologic and psychological sequelae of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) after three or more years without antineoplasic treatment who underwent cranial irradiation plus intrathecal methotrexate (Group 1) or just intrathecal methotrexate (Group 2). In both groups, a neurologic evaluation, electroencephalogram (EEG) and cranial computed tomography (CCT) were performed. Intellectual quotient and the Bender test were done for the psychological evaluation. Investigators did not know the kind of treatment of each patient.

Statistics: Fisher's exact test and Mann-Whitney U. There were fourteen patients in group 1 and eight patients in group 2. Intellectual quotient was statistically lower in the first group (median 83.5) than in the second (90.5). Neurologic impairments were found in one patient of each group, alterations of the EEG were found in 6 and 4 in group 1 and 2, respectively, and in the CCT of two patients in group 2 without statistical difference. Children with ALL after cranial irradiation have a greater alteration of intellectual performance than children with intrathecal methotrexate. Neurologic alterations were seen in both groups.