An Investigation of General and High-Level Language Skills in Children Treated with Central Nervous System-Targeted Chemotherapy for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

摘要

The general language skills of 13 children (mean age. 8.2 years) treated with a central nervous system (CNS)-targeted chemotherapeutic regimen for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and 13 control children matched on age, sex, and educational level were assessed using the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals-Fourth Edition or the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals-Preschool and the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Third Edition, Form A. The high-level language skills of a subgroup of the children (9 ALL and 9 control) were assessed with age-appropriate tests from the Test of Problem Solving series and the Test of Language Competence-Expanded Edition. The group of children with a history of CNS-targeted chemotherapeutic treatment for ALL presented with impaired expressive language skills aad reduced proficiency with figurative language. Tentative conclusions, based on the findings, suggest impaired language skills may occur after CNS-targeted chemotherapy-only treatment for ALL. Replication of the study with a larger sample is required, as are longitudinal studies, given the progressive CNS changes associated with the neurotoxicity of CNS-targeted interventions. These findings alert clinicians to the potential for language difficulties after the sole use of CNS-targeted chemotherapy in the treatment of ALL and the need for long-term monitoring of such children.