Clinical Trials

Brain Function in Young Patients Receiving Methotrexate for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Location:

Rochester,  MN

Trial status:

Open for Enrollment

Why is this study being done?

OBJECTIVES:

- Determine the neuropsychological function in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia treated with either high-dose methotrexate or escalating-dose methotrexate in the absence of cranial radiation and nelarabine.

- Identify host polymorphisms that predict an increased risk of neurocognitive dysfunction or acute neurotoxicity in these patients.

- Correlate neuropsychological outcome measures and the occurrence of acute neurotoxicity with host polymorphisms in these patients.

- Measure concentrations of 5-methyltetrahydrofolate, homocysteine, Ado, S-adenosylmethionine, S-adenosylhomocysteine, and other potentially relevant compounds in serum and cerebrospinal fluid during interim maintenance therapy with low- or high-dose methotrexate regimens, respectively, and correlate these endpoints with the occurrence of acute neurologic toxicity and long-term neurocognitive dysfunction in these patients.

- Determine whether or not diffusion tensor imaging will identify areas of selective vulnerability in CNS and provide an imaging modality that predicts and/or correlates with neuropsychological outcome.

OUTLINE: This is a prospective, cohort, multicenter study.

Patients complete neurocognitive tests to assess thinking, memory, attention, and concentration. The baseline test is administered during the consolidation phase of chemotherapy and further tests are done at 1 year from baseline and 1 year after* the completion of study therapy.

Patients undergo blood and cerebrospinal fluid collection periodically for biomarker, genotypic polymorphisms, and pharmacokinetic analysis.

Patients undergo MRI diffusion-tensor imaging to correlate imaging with neuropsychological outcomes.

NOTE: * Within 8 months to 24 months after the completion of study therapy for patients on AALL0232.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 450 patients will be accrued for this study.

Who is eligible to participate?

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

- Diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia

- Enrolled on COG-AALL0434 or COG-AALL0232

- Patients must have received either high-dose methotrexate or escalating-dose methotrexate during interim maintenance.

- No CNS-3 disease

- Patients must enroll within 8-24 months after completion of therapy on COG-AALL0232 and no evidence of relapsed or secondary malignancy

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

- No known significant neurodevelopmental disability unrelated to cancer diagnosis including, but not limited to, any of the following:

- Down syndrome

- Fragile X mental retardation

- Autism

- Pervasive developmental disability

- Seizure disorder

- Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder or specific learning disability (e.g., dyslexia) allowed

- No sensory impairment (e.g., pre-existing uncorrectable vision impairment or deafness)

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

- See Disease Characteristics

- No cranial radiation therapy

Last updated: 04/05/2011

NCT ID: NCT00437060

IRB Number:07-007525