Long-term Neurocognitive and Quality of Life Outcomes in Survivors of
Pediatric Hematopoietic Cell Transplant
Abstract
Background: Pediatric patients who undergo hematopoietic cell transplant
(HCT) are at risk for neurocognitive impairments; however, long-term
studies are lacking. Procedure: Eligible survivors (HCT at age
<21y and ≥1y post-HCT) completed a 60-question survey of
neurocognitive function and quality of life, which included the
Childhood Cancer Survivor Study Neurocognitive Questionnaire (CCSS-NCQ)
and the Neuro-Quality of Life Cognitive Function Short Form (Neuro-QoL).
Baseline demographic and transplant characteristics were retrieved from
the institutional research database. Analyses of risk factors included
univariate comparisons and multivariable logistic regression. Results:
Participants (n=199, 50.3% female, 53.3% acute leukemia, 87.9%
allogeneic transplants) were surveyed at median age of 37.8 years (range
18-61) at survey and median 27.6 years (range 1-46) from transplant. On
the CCSS-NCQ, 18.9-32.5% of survivors reported impairments (Z-score
>1.28) in task efficiency, memory, emotional regulation, or
organization, compared with expected 10% in the general population (all
p<0.01). Certain co-morbidities were associated with impaired
CCSS-NCQ scores. However, survivors reported average Neuro-QoL (T-score
49.6±0.7) compared with population normative value of 50 (p=0.52). In
multivariable regression, impaired Neuro-QoL (T-score <40) was
independently associated with hearing issues (OR 4.79, 95% CI
1.91-12.0), history of stroke or seizure (OR 5.22, 95% CI 1.73-15.7),
and sleep disturbances (OR 6.90, 95% CI 2.53-18.9). Conclusions:
Although long-term survivors of pediatric HCT reported higher rates of
impairment in specific neurocognitive domains, cognitive quality of life
was perceived as similar to the general population. Subsets of survivors
with certain co-morbidities had substantially worse neurocognitive
outcomes.