Neurocognitive Battery Feasible in 3-Year-Olds During Leukemia Treatment
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 18, 2024 -- A brief neurocognitive battery is feasible for use in 3-year-olds during acute lymphoblastic leukemia treatment, according to a study published online Dec. 9 in Pediatric Blood & Cancer.
Sameera Ramjan, from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, and colleagues offered patients enrolled in the Treatment of Newly Diagnosed Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in Children and Adolescents participation in an optional neurocognitive study assessing longitudinal changes in neurocognitive function. The analysis included 3- and 4-year-old patients enrolled in the study.
The researchers found that 3-year-old patients did not differ from 4-year-olds in terms of their ability to perform or complete the brief Cogstate battery assessing psychomotor function (detection) and attention (identification). These findings persisted at four time-point assessments, through 52 weeks after diagnosis.
"This report demonstrates that computerized testing, such as Cogstate, can be successfully administered to 3-year-old patients who are undergoing treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia, thereby capturing serial test data on a vulnerable patient population that, in prior studies, have demonstrated worse neurocognitive deficits," the authors write. "Consequently, changing future study inclusion criteria to include patients diagnosed at the age of 3 years will ultimately serve to improve our understanding of at-risk patients and the neurocognitive trajectory of this age group both during treatment as well as into survivorship, thereby leading to the development of early interventions."
One author disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry; two authors disclosed ties to Cogstate.
Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted December 2024
Read this next
Pulmonary Embolism More Common in Children Than Previously Thought
THURSDAY, May 22, 2025 -- Pulmonary embolism (PE) is more common in children than previously thought, according to a study presented at the American Thoracic Society 2025...
Half of Youth-Serving Clinicians Screen for Substance Use Disorder at Every Well Visit
THURSDAY, May 22, 2025 -- Just over half of youth-serving clinicians report that they routinely screen adolescents for substance use disorders (SUDs) at every well visit...
Many Heart Failure Patients Do Not See a Cardiologist Annually
THURSDAY, May 22, 2025 -- About 40 percent of patients with heart failure diagnosis do not see a cardiologist annually, according to a study published online May 18 in the...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.