Investigating verbal and visual auditory learning after conformal radiation therapy for childhood ependymoma.
OBJECTIVE
The primary objective of this study was to determine whether children with localized ependymoma experience a decline in verbal or visual-auditory learning after conformal radiation therapy (CRT). The secondary objective was to investigate the impact of age and select clinical factors on learning before and after treatment.


METHODS
Learning in a sample of 71 patients with localized ependymoma was assessed with the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT-C) and the Visual-Auditory Learning Test (VAL). Learning measures were administered before CRT, at 6 months, and then yearly for a total of 5 years.


RESULTS
There was no significant decline on measures of verbal or visual-auditory learning after CRT; however, younger age, more surgeries, and cerebrospinal fluid shunting did predict lower scores at baseline. There were significant longitudinal effects (improved learning scores after treatment) among older children on the CVLT-C and children that did not receive pre-CRT chemotherapy on the VAL.


CONCLUSIONS
There was no evidence of global decline in learning after CRT in children with localized ependymoma. Several important implications from the findings include the following: (1) identification of and differentiation among variables with transient vs. long-term effects on learning, (2) demonstration that children treated with chemotherapy before CRT had greater risk of adverse visual-auditory learning performance, and (3) establishment of baseline and serial assessment as critical in ascertaining necessary sensitivity and specificity for the detection of modest effects.
Di Pinto
Marcos
M
Division of Behavioral Medicine, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA.
Conklin
Heather M
HM
Li
Chenghong
C
Xiong
Xiaoping
X
Merchant
Thomas E
TE
D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001077:Aptitude Tests; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004806:Ependymoma / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects*; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects; D020266:Radiotherapy, Conformal / Q000009:adverse effects*; D014706:Verbal Learning / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects