[Neurological complications during and after the treatment of acute lymphocytic leukemia]

To explore the frequency and prognosis of neurological complications of acute lymphocytic leukemia, retrospective studies were made of patients with acute lymphocytic leukemia. Neurological complications were found in 13 of 100 patients during and after treatment. They were caused by chemotherapy in 8 patients, irradiation therapy in 2, vitamin B1 deficiency in 1, and unknown in 2. Medications primarily relevant to these complications were methotrexate in 5 patients, L-asparaginase in 2, cytosin arabinoside in 1. The patients were diagnosed as having leukoencephalopathy (8), cerebrovascular injury (4), and Wernicke's encephalopathy (1). Symptomatic epilepsy was found in one patient, and mental retardation was seen in three patients during a 2-year course of treatment. We conclude that careful management is required in the treatment of acute lymphocytic leukemia, because of the persistence of neurological complications, although their severity is decreasing with advances in treatment.