Aubree Boulet-Craig1,2, Philippe Robaey1,3,4,5, Julie Laniel1,2, Laurence Bertout1, Simon Drouin1, Maja Krajinovic1,3, Caroline Laverdière1,3, Daniel Sinnett1,3, Serge Sultan1,2, Sarah Lippé1,2. 1. Sainte-Justine University Health Center, Research Center, Montréal, Québec, Canada. 2. Université de Montréal, Department of Psychology, Montréal, Québec, Canada. 3. Université de Montréal, Department of Pediatrics, Montréal, Québec, Canada. 4. Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. 5. University of Ottawa, Department of Psychiatry, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common cancer in children. Because of major improvements in treatment protocols, the survival rate now exceeds 80%. However, ALL treatments can cause long-term neurocognitive sequelae, which negatively impact academic achievement and quality of life. Therefore, cognitive sequelae need to be carefully evaluated. The DIVERGT is a battery of tests proposed as a screening tool, sensitive to executive function impairments in children and adolescent cancer survivors. Our study aimed at verifying the predictive value of the DIVERGT on general cognitive functioning in adult long-term survivors of ALL. METHODS: ALL survivors completed the DIVERGT 13.4 years, on average, after remission (N = 247). In addition, 49 of these survivors (equally selected amongst those with low, average, and high DIVERGT scores) as well as 29 controls completed a more comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation within a 3-year period from DIVERGT administration. Multivariate regression analysis was used to assess the predictive value of the DIVERGT on general intelligence, mathematics, verbal memory, and working memory. As a follow-up analysis, three performance groups were created based on the DIVERGT results. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) assessed neuropsychological differences between groups. RESULTS: The DIVERGT accurately predicted General Ability Index (GAI) (P < 0.0001), mathematics (P < 0.0001) and verbal memory (P = 0.045). Moreover, the low-performance group consistently had poorer performance than the high-performance and control groups on the neuropsychological tests. CONCLUSION: The DIVERGT is a useful, time-effective screening battery for broader neurocognitive impairments identification in long-term adult ALL survivors. It could be implemented as routine examination in cancer follow-up clinics.
BACKGROUND:Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common cancer in children. Because of major improvements in treatment protocols, the survival rate now exceeds 80%. However, ALL treatments can cause long-term neurocognitive sequelae, which negatively impact academic achievement and quality of life. Therefore, cognitive sequelae need to be carefully evaluated. The DIVERGT is a battery of tests proposed as a screening tool, sensitive to executive function impairments in children and adolescent cancer survivors. Our study aimed at verifying the predictive value of the DIVERGT on general cognitive functioning in adult long-term survivors of ALL. METHODS: ALL survivors completed the DIVERGT 13.4 years, on average, after remission (N = 247). In addition, 49 of these survivors (equally selected amongst those with low, average, and high DIVERGT scores) as well as 29 controls completed a more comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation within a 3-year period from DIVERGT administration. Multivariate regression analysis was used to assess the predictive value of the DIVERGT on general intelligence, mathematics, verbal memory, and working memory. As a follow-up analysis, three performance groups were created based on the DIVERGT results. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) assessed neuropsychological differences between groups. RESULTS: The DIVERGT accurately predicted General Ability Index (GAI) (P < 0.0001), mathematics (P < 0.0001) and verbal memory (P = 0.045). Moreover, the low-performance group consistently had poorer performance than the high-performance and control groups on the neuropsychological tests. CONCLUSION: The DIVERGT is a useful, time-effective screening battery for broader neurocognitive impairments identification in long-term adult ALL survivors. It could be implemented as routine examination in cancer follow-up clinics.
Authors: Kateryna Petrykey; Sarah Lippé; Philippe Robaey; Serge Sultan; Julie Laniel; Simon Drouin; Laurence Bertout; Patrick Beaulieu; Pascal St-Onge; Aubrée Boulet-Craig; Aziz Rezgui; Yutaka Yasui; Yadav Sapkota; Kevin R Krull; Melissa M Hudson; Caroline Laverdière; Daniel Sinnett; Maja Krajinovic Journal: PLoS One Date: 2019-06-10 Impact factor: 3.240
Authors: Victor Oswald; Younes Zerouali; Aubrée Boulet-Craig; Maja Krajinovic; Caroline Laverdière; Daniel Sinnett; Pierre Jolicoeur; Sarah Lippé; Karim Jerbi; Philippe Robaey Journal: Sci Rep Date: 2022-01-10 Impact factor: 4.379
Authors: Marita Partanen; Sean Phipps; Kathryn Russell; Doralina L Anghelescu; Joshua Wolf; Heather M Conklin; Kevin R Krull; Hiroto Inaba; Ching-Hon Pui; Lisa M Jacola Journal: J Pediatr Psychol Date: 2021-02-19
Authors: Ellen van der Plas; Weiyu Qiu; Brian J Nieman; Yutaka Yasui; Qi Liu; Stephanie B Dixon; Nina S Kadan-Lottick; Christopher B Weldon; Brent R Weil; Lisa M Jacola; Todd M Gibson; Wendy Leisenring; Kevin Oeffinger; Melissa M Hudson; Leslie L Robison; Gregory T Armstrong; Kevin R Krull Journal: J Natl Cancer Inst Date: 2021-05-04 Impact factor: 13.506
Authors: Émélie Rondeau; Leandra Desjardins; Caroline Laverdière; Daniel Sinnett; Élie Haddad; Serge Sultan Journal: Health Psychol Behav Med Date: 2021-07-06