Biomarkers and Cognitive Function in Children and Adolescents During Maintenance Therapy for Leukemia.
Mary C Hooke, Michelle A Mathiason, Alicia S Kunin-Batson and 8 others
PMID 34673759WHAT IT FOUND
In children finishing leukemia maintenance therapy, higher spinal-fluid oxidative-stress marker levels were linked to lower attention/inhibitory-control scores.
Parent-reported thinking improved, but objective tests were only done at the end in a small sample.
Key findings
01At the end of maintenance therapy, higher F2-IsoP levels were significantly associated with lower Flanker scores (p < 0.05).
02Parent-reported cognitive function increased significantly from beginning to end of maintenance therapy, while the PedsQL cognitive subscale remained stable.
03IL-8 levels decreased significantly during maintenance therapy, and higher IL-8 at the beginning of maintenance was positively associated with parent-reported cognitive function.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The supplied text does not state the total number of participants in the main biomarker and parent-report analyses. The sample was small, and only two participants were in the oldest age group. Recruitment began after the primary study, and many eligible children and adolescents declined because they were ready to finish treatment. Objective NIH Toolbox tests were added only at end of maintenance, so changes in measured cognition across treatment could not be assessed. Only 26 participants completed NIH Toolbox measures, and 4 refused. The study tested associations, not whether biomarkers cause, predict, or can be used clinically to identify cognitive impairment. The positive relationship between IL-8 and parent-reported cognition needs confirmation.
Declared interests
The supplied metadata lists NIH extramural and non-U.S. government research support. The article text does not include a conflict-of-interest declaration.
The easy way to misread this
Do not treat F2-IsoP as a clinical screening test for cognitive impairment. The study found an association at the end of maintenance therapy in a small exploratory sample, not a validated biomarker or a cause of cognitive decline.