Investigating Verbal and Visual Auditory Learning After Conformal Radiation Therapy for Childhood Ependymoma

Journal Article · Thu Jul 15 04:00:00 EDT 2010 · International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology and Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijrobp.2009.06.003· OSTI ID:21436064

Di Pinto, Marcos; Conklin, Heather M ^[1]; Chenghong, Li; Xiaoping, Xiong ^[2]

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1. Division of Behavioral Medicine, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN (United States)
2. Department of Biostatistics, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN (United States)

Purpose: The primary objective of this study was to determine whether children with localized ependymoma experience a decline in verbal or visual-auditory learning after conformal radiation therapy (CRT). The secondary objective was to investigate the impact of age and select clinical factors on learning before and after treatment. Methods and Materials: Learning in a sample of 71 patients with localized ependymoma was assessed with the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT-C) and the Visual-Auditory Learning Test (VAL). Learning measures were administered before CRT, at 6 months, and then yearly for a total of 5 years. Results: There was no significant decline on measures of verbal or visual-auditory learning after CRT; however, younger age, more surgeries, and cerebrospinal fluid shunting did predict lower scores at baseline. There were significant longitudinal effects (improved learning scores after treatment) among older children on the CVLT-C and children that did not receive pre-CRT chemotherapy on the VAL. Conclusion: There was no evidence of global decline in learning after CRT in children with localized ependymoma. Several important implications from the findings include the following: (1) identification of and differentiation among variables with transient vs. long-term effects on learning, (2) demonstration that children treated with chemotherapy before CRT had greater risk of adverse visual-auditory learning performance, and (3) establishment of baseline and serial assessment as critical in ascertaining necessary sensitivity and specificity for the detection of modest effects.

• OSTI ID: 21436064
• Journal Information: International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology and Physics, Journal Name: International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology and Physics Journal Issue: 4 Vol. 77; ISSN IOBPD3; ISSN 0360-3016
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE
AGE GROUPS
ANIMALS
BODY
BRAIN
CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
CHEMOTHERAPY
CHILDREN
DISEASES
LEARNING
MAMMALS
MAN
MEDICINE
NEOPLASMS
NERVOUS SYSTEM
NUCLEAR MEDICINE
ORGANS
PRIMATES
RADIOLOGY
RADIOTHERAPY
THERAPY
VERTEBRATES