Cognitive functions of young adults who survived childhood cancer.

Neuropsychological tests were used to determine the cognitive functioning of adult long-term survivors treatedfor childhood cancer Disease onset before the age of 5 was related to lower test scores in intelligence tests, several memory tests, and motor function tests. The cranial irradiated survivors displayed more difficulties, especially in short-term memory tests and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale Digit Symbol Test as compared to nonradiated survivors. No statistically significant differences in test scores were observed between different forms of cancer The results of this study are consistent with the notion that those memory types that demand special attention and motor speed functions are especially vulnerable to cancer and its treatment.