NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL OUTCOME OF CHILDREN UNDERGOING BONE-MARROW TRANSPLANTATION

The purpose of the study was to prospectively evaluate the neuropsycho logical functioning of children and adolescents receiving a bone marro w transplant (BMT). One hundred and twenty-two children with malignant or nonmalignant disorders and no previous cranial radiation therapy r eceived a pre-BMT neuropsychological evaluation, Surviving children re ceived a 1 year post-BMT neuropsychological evaluation. Patients were placed in a chemotherapy only (chemo) or a chemotherapy and total body irradiation (chemo + TBI) group for statistical analysis. The data we re analyzed by t-tests for paired samples. There were: no statisticall y significant differences. Regression ana;lysis failed to identify tre atment, age and gender effects. The results suggest that global and sp ecific areas of neuropsychological functioning 1 year post-BMT were no t detrimentally affected by chemotherapy or chemotherapy with total bo dy irradiation.