Health-related quality of life and cognitive outcomes among child and adolescent survivors of leukemia.
OBJECTIVE
Long-term survival of childhood leukemia has become a reality with treatment advancement; hence, the need to assess the survivors' health-related quality of life (HRQL) is essential. Although a growing number of Western studies have documented the considerable impact of diagnosis and treatment on HRQL in pediatric leukemia survivors, little finding has been reported in non-Western developing countries.


METHODS
We used a previously validated 14-dimensional questionnaire, Child Health Questionnaire 50-item Parent Form (CHQ-PF 50), to examine the perceived HRQL of 32 child/adolescent survivors, currently aged 13.17 ± 2.49 years, who had experienced first complete continuous remission from leukemia for at least 3 years. The HRQL status was compared with that obtained from community subjects (N = 154) and survivors' nonadult siblings (N = 30). Intelligence quotients (IQ) and computerized neuropsychological assessments were performed for subjects.


RESULTS
The HRQL of leukemia survivors was noted to be worse than that of community children and nonadult siblings as reflected by significantly lower scores in both the physical summary and the psychosocial summary score of CHQ-PF 50. 15.6% of the survivors had impaired intelligence (estimated IQ below 70). 27.8% of the adolescents were impaired in the cognitive domains as assessed by neuropsychological tests.


CONCLUSIONS
In this Taiwanese single institution experience, pediatric leukemia survivors carried a morbidity burden into their teen years as reflected by worse HRQL than controls. These findings may guide the support required by this population.
Chiou
Shyh-Shin
SS
Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University and Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Jang
Ren-Chin
RC
Liao
Yu-Mei
YM
Yang
Pinchen
P
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000517:prevention & control; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D011788:Quality of Life; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile; D015996:Survival Rate; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology*; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology