Neuropsychological outcomes of standard risk and high risk patients treated for acute lymphoblastic leukemia on Dana-Farber ALL consortium protocol 95-01 at 5 years post-diagnosis.

Background: Children treated for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) as High Risk (HR) patients may be more vulnerable to neurocognitive late effects because of the greater intensity of their therapy. We compared neuropsychological outcomes in children treated for Standard Risk (SR) or HR ALL on Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) Consortium ALL Protocol 95-01. We also evaluated their performance relative to normative expectations.

Neuropsychological outcomes from a randomized trial of triple intrathecal chemotherapy compared with 18 Gy cranial radiation as CNS treatment in acute lymphoblastic leukemia: findings from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute ALL Consortium Protocol 95-01.

Purpose: We evaluated late neuropsychological toxicity in children treated for standard-risk acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) who were randomly assigned to receive either cranial radiation therapy (CRT) with double intrathecal (IT) chemotherapy or intensive triple IT chemotherapy (no CRT) as CNS-directed therapy.

Patients And Methods: Between 1996 and 2000, 164 children with standard-risk ALL treated on Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Consortium Protocol 95-01 were randomly assigned to receive either 18 Gy CRT delivered in twice daily fractions (0.9 [DOSAGE ERROR CORRECTED] Gy) with double IT therapy (methotrexate and cytarabine) or intensive triple IT drug (methotrexate, cytarabine and hydrocortisone) without CRT.