Brain structure, cognition and behavior in child and adolescent survivors of leukemia

Pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common for of childhood cancer. It is successfully treated in ~90% of cases, primarily based on combination chemotherapy. Survivors of ALL are at elevated risk of cognitive or behavioral problems, which frequently include impairments in processing speed, working memory, attention, and executive function. These changes are accompanied by alterations in brain development, evident by changes in brain structure volume. In our study, data from the Pediatric MRI Data Repository was used as a secondary control data set (supplementing a control data set collected as part of the study). The results were shown as a collective, as well as in two groups matched on an individual basis to participants in the study (based on age, sex, and full-scale IQ).