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Harris RD, Taylor OA, Raghubar KP, Matheus Gonzalez M, Zobeck M, Gramatges MM, Rabin KR, Scheurer ME, Brown AL. Episodes of acute methotrexate-related neurotoxicity linked to compromised long-term neurocognitive function. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2024:e31169. [PMID: 38961583 DOI: 10.1002/pbc.31169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2024] [Revised: 05/28/2024] [Accepted: 06/12/2024] [Indexed: 07/05/2024]
Abstract
Methotrexate is a critical component of curative chemotherapy for pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), but is associated with neurotoxicity. Information on long-term outcomes following an acute neurotoxic event is limited. Therefore, this report compares neurocognitive performance more than 12 months post diagnosis (mean = 4 years) between ALL patients with (n = 25) and without (n = 146) a history of acute neurotoxicity. Compared to children with no documented on-treatment neurotoxic event, children who experienced a neurotoxic event during treatment exhibited poorer performance on measures of fine motor function (p = .02) and attention (p = .02). Children with ALL who experience acute neurotoxicity may be candidates for early neuropsychological screening and intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel D Harris
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
- Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Center, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Olga A Taylor
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
- Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Center, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Kimberly P Raghubar
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Psychology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
- Department of Pediatric Psychology and Neuropsychology, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Mariana Matheus Gonzalez
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
- Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Center, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Mark Zobeck
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
- Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Center, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - M Monica Gramatges
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
- Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Center, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Karen R Rabin
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
- Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Center, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Michael E Scheurer
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
- Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Center, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Austin L Brown
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
- Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Center, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
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Schroyen G, Sleurs C, Ottenbourgs T, Leenaerts N, Nevelsteen I, Melis M, Smeets A, Deprez S, Sunaert S. Changes in leukoencephalopathy and serum neurofilament after (neo)adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer. Transl Oncol 2023; 37:101769. [PMID: 37651891 PMCID: PMC10480307 DOI: 10.1016/j.tranon.2023.101769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Revised: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/02/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Previous case studies have provided evidence for chemotherapy-induced leukoencephalopathy in patients with breast cancer. However, prospective research is lacking. Hence, we investigated leukoencephalopathy before and after chemotherapy and its association with a serum neuroaxonal damage marker. METHODS This prospective cohort study included 40 patients receiving chemotherapy for breast cancer, and two age- and education-matched control groups, recruited between 2018 and 2021 (31-64 years of age). The latter control groups consisted of 39 chemotherapy-naïve patients and 40 healthy women. Fluid-attenuated inversion-recovery magnetic resonance imaging was used for lesion volumetry (total, juxtacortical, periventricular, infratentorial, and deep white matter) and blood serum to measure neurofilament light chain (NfL) levels. Acquisition took place pre-chemotherapy and three months and one-year post-chemotherapy, or at corresponding intervals. Within/between group differences were compared using robust mixed-effects modeling, and associations between total lesion volume and serum-NfL with linear regression. RESULTS Stronger increases in deep white matter lesion volumes were observed shortly post-chemotherapy, compared with healthy women (ßstandardized=0.09, pFDR<0.001). Increases in total lesion volume could mainly be attributed to enlargement of existing lesions (mean±SD, 0.12±0.16 mL), rather than development of new lesions (0.02±0.02 mL). A stronger increase in serum-NfL concentration was observed shortly post-chemotherapy compared with both control groups (ß>0.70, p<0.004), neither of which showed any changes over time, whereas a decrease was observed compared with healthy women one-year post-chemotherapy (ß=-0.54, p = 0.002). Serum-NfL concentrations were associated with lesion volume one-year post-chemotherapy (or at matched timepoint; ß=0.36, p = 0.010), whereas baseline or short-term post-therapy levels or changes were not. CONCLUSION These results underscore the possibility of chemotherapy-induced leukoencephalopathy months post-treatment, as well as the added value of serum-NfL as a prognostic marker for peripheral/central neurotoxicity. TRANSLATIONAL RELEVANCE Previous case studies have provided evidence of chemotherapy-induced leukoencephalopathy in patients with breast cancer. However, prospective studies to estimate longitudinal changes are currently missing. In this study, we used longitudinal fluid-attenuated inversion-recovery magnetic resonance imaging to assess white matter lesion volumes in patients treated for non-metastatic breast cancer and healthy women. Our findings demonstrate that chemotherapy-treated patients exhibit stronger increases in lesion volumes compared with healthy women, specifically in deep white matter, at three months post-chemotherapy. Increases could mainly be attributed to enlargement of existing lesions, rather than development of new lesions. Last, serum concentrations of neurofilament light chain, a neuroaxonal damage marker, increased shortly after chemotherapy and long-term post-chemotherapy levels were associated with lesion volumes. These findings highlight the potential of this non-invasive serum marker as a prognostic marker for peripheral and/or central neurotoxicity. Implementation in clinical practice could aid in therapeutic decisions, assessing disease activity, or monitoring treatment response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gwen Schroyen
- KU Leuven, Leuven Brain Institute, Leuven, Belgium; University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven Cancer Institute, Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven, Department of Imaging and Pathology, Translational MRI, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Charlotte Sleurs
- KU Leuven, Leuven Brain Institute, Leuven, Belgium; University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven Cancer Institute, Leuven, Belgium; Tilburg University, Department of Cognitive Neuropsychology, Tilburg, the Netherlands; KU Leuven, Department of Oncology, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Tine Ottenbourgs
- KU Leuven, Department of Imaging and Pathology, Translational MRI, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Nicolas Leenaerts
- KU Leuven, Leuven Brain Institute, Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven, Department of Neurosciences, Mind-Body Research, Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven, University Psychiatric Center, Leuven, Belgium; University Hospitals Leuven, Department of Psychiatry, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Ines Nevelsteen
- University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven Cancer Institute, Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven, Department of Oncology, Leuven, Belgium; University Hospitals Leuven, Department of Oncology, Surgical Oncology, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Michelle Melis
- KU Leuven, Leuven Brain Institute, Leuven, Belgium; University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven Cancer Institute, Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven, Department of Imaging and Pathology, Translational MRI, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Ann Smeets
- University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven Cancer Institute, Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven, Department of Oncology, Leuven, Belgium; University Hospitals Leuven, Department of Oncology, Surgical Oncology, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Sabine Deprez
- KU Leuven, Leuven Brain Institute, Leuven, Belgium; University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven Cancer Institute, Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven, Department of Imaging and Pathology, Translational MRI, Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Stefan Sunaert
- KU Leuven, Leuven Brain Institute, Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven, Department of Imaging and Pathology, Translational MRI, Leuven, Belgium; University Hospitals Leuven, Department of Radiology, Leuven, Belgium
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覃 李, 麦 惠. [Recent research on cognitive impairment in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia]. ZHONGGUO DANG DAI ER KE ZA ZHI = CHINESE JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY PEDIATRICS 2023; 25:315-320. [PMID: 36946169 PMCID: PMC10032075 DOI: 10.7499/j.issn.1008-8830.2210063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2022] [Accepted: 01/12/2023] [Indexed: 03/23/2023]
Abstract
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common malignant neoplastic disease in children. With the continuous improvement in diagnosis and treatment, there has been an increasing number of ALL children who achieve long-term survival after complete remission; however, a considerable proportion of these children have cognitive impairment, which has a serious adverse impact on their learning, employment, and social life. This article reviews the latest research on cognitive impairment in children with ALL from the aspects of the influencing factors, detection techniques, and prevention/treatment methods for cognitive impairment.
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Rijmenams I, Moechars D, Uyttebroeck A, Radwan A, Blommaert J, Deprez S, Sunaert S, Segers H, Gillebert CR, Lemiere J, Sleurs C. Age- and Intravenous Methotrexate-Associated Leukoencephalopathy and Its Neurological Impact in Pediatric Patients with Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13081939. [PMID: 33923795 PMCID: PMC8073318 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13081939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2021] [Revised: 04/08/2021] [Accepted: 04/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary In this study, we investigated standardized post-chemotherapy magnetic resonance (MR) scans for leukoencephalopathy and patient- and treatment-related risk factors in childhood leukemia patients. As prevalence numbers are limited, our study provides the required estimations for this population. Furthermore, we demonstrate that younger patients might be more at-risk for development of leukoencephalopathy (LE), and that a higher intravenous methotrexate (IV-MTX) dose has a cumulative toxic effect, while the number of intrathecal administrations was not significantly associated with the extent of LE. This can suggest we should modify chemotherapeutic treatment regimens by decreasing the number of IV-MTX applications, with special attention for younger patients. Abstract Methotrexate (MTX) is associated with leukoencephalopathy (LE) in children treated for lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma (ALL/LBL). However, large-scale studies with systematic MR acquisition and quantitative volumetric lesion information remain limited. Hence, the prevalence of lesion burdens and the potential risk factors of LE in this population are still inconclusive. FLAIR-MRI scans were acquired at the end of treatment in children who were treated for ALL/LBL, which were quantitatively analyzed for LE. Voxels were assigned to the lesion segmentation if indicated by two raters. Logistic and linear regression models were used to test whether lesion presence and size were predicted by risk factors such as age at diagnosis, gender, intrathecal (IT-) or intravenous (IV-)MTX dose, CNS invasion, and acute neurological events. Patients with a pre-existing neurological condition or low-quality MR scan were excluded from the analyses. Of the 129 patients, ten (8%) suffered from CNS invasion. Chemotherapy-associated neurological events were observed in 13 patients (10%) during therapy, and 68 patients (53%) showed LE post-treatment. LE was more frequent in cases of lower age and higher cumulative IV-MTX doses, while the extent of LE and neurological symptoms were associated only with IV-MTX doses. Neurological events were not significantly associated with LE, even though symptomatic patients demonstrated a higher ratio of LE (n = 9/13) than asymptomatic patients (n = 59/116). This study suggests leukoencephalopathy frequently occurs in both symptomatic and asymptomatic leukemia patients. Younger children and patients treated with higher cumulative IV-MTX doses might need more regular screening for early detection and follow-up of associated sequelae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilona Rijmenams
- Department of Brain and Cognition, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (I.R.); (D.M.); (C.R.G.)
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (A.U.); (H.S.)
| | - Daan Moechars
- Department of Brain and Cognition, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (I.R.); (D.M.); (C.R.G.)
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (A.U.); (H.S.)
| | - Anne Uyttebroeck
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (A.U.); (H.S.)
- Department of Pediatric Hemato-Oncology, University Hospital Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium;
- Leuven Cancer Institute, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (A.R.); (J.B.); (S.D.); (S.S.)
| | - Ahmed Radwan
- Leuven Cancer Institute, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (A.R.); (J.B.); (S.D.); (S.S.)
- Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Imaging and Pathology, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jeroen Blommaert
- Leuven Cancer Institute, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (A.R.); (J.B.); (S.D.); (S.S.)
- Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Gynaecological Oncology, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Sabine Deprez
- Leuven Cancer Institute, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (A.R.); (J.B.); (S.D.); (S.S.)
- Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Imaging and Pathology, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Stefan Sunaert
- Leuven Cancer Institute, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (A.R.); (J.B.); (S.D.); (S.S.)
- Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Imaging and Pathology, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Heidi Segers
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (A.U.); (H.S.)
- Department of Pediatric Hemato-Oncology, University Hospital Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium;
- Leuven Cancer Institute, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (A.R.); (J.B.); (S.D.); (S.S.)
| | - Céline R. Gillebert
- Department of Brain and Cognition, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (I.R.); (D.M.); (C.R.G.)
- Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jurgen Lemiere
- Department of Pediatric Hemato-Oncology, University Hospital Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium;
- Leuven Cancer Institute, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (A.R.); (J.B.); (S.D.); (S.S.)
- Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Charlotte Sleurs
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (A.U.); (H.S.)
- Leuven Cancer Institute, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (A.R.); (J.B.); (S.D.); (S.S.)
- Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
- Correspondence:
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McDonald BC. Structural Neuroimaging Findings Related to Adult Non-CNS Cancer and Treatment: Review, Integration, and Implications for Treatment of Cognitive Dysfunction. Neurotherapeutics 2021; 18:792-810. [PMID: 34402034 PMCID: PMC8423886 DOI: 10.1007/s13311-021-01096-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer- and treatment-related cognitive dysfunction (CRCD) is a common challenge faced by patients diagnosed with non-central nervous system (CNS) cancer. It has become increasingly recognized that multiple factors likely play a role in these symptoms, including the cancer disease process, systemic treatments (e.g., chemotherapy and endocrine therapies), and risk factors that may predispose an individual to both cancer and cognitive dysfunction. As the field has evolved, advanced neuroimaging techniques have been applied to better understand the neural correlates of CRCD. This review focuses on structural neuroimaging findings related to CRCD in adult non-CNS cancer populations, including examination of gray matter volume/density and white matter integrity differences between cancer patients and comparison groups, as well as emerging findings regarding structural network abnormalities. Overall, this literature has demonstrated consistent findings of reduced gray matter volume/density and white matter integrity in cancer patients relative to comparison groups. These are most prominent in individuals treated with chemotherapy, though alterations have also been noted in those treated with anti-estrogen and androgen-deprivation therapies. Alterations in gray and white matter structural network connectivity have also been identified. These structural abnormalities have been observed most prominently in frontal and temporal brain regions, and have been shown to correlate with subjective and objective cognitive function, as well as with physiological and clinical variables, helping to inform understanding of CRCD mechanisms. To date, however, structural neuroimaging techniques have not been utilized in systematic studies of potential CRCD treatments, suggesting a potentially fruitful avenue for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brenna C McDonald
- Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Indiana University School of Medicine and Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, 355 W. 16th St., GH Suite 4100, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA.
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