Related Experiment Videos
Do visual evoked potentials detect neural damage in children treated for cancer?
1Child Development Centre, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge.
Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology
|June 1, 1990
Summary
Visual evoked potentials (VEPs) may not effectively screen for treatment toxicity in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Studies found limited VEP abnormalities during ALL treatment, suggesting it is not a reliable monitoring tool.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pediatric Oncology
- Ophthalmology
Background:
- Abnormal visual evoked potentials (VEPs) have been observed in children undergoing treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).
- This suggests VEPs could potentially serve as a screening tool for treatment-related toxicity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the utility of flash and pattern VEPs in monitoring children during and after treatment for ALL.
- To determine if VEPs can effectively screen for neurotoxicity associated with ALL treatment.
Main Methods:
- Recording of flash and pattern VEPs in a control group of 34 siblings.
- Longitudinal VEP recordings in six children during early ALL treatment.
- VEP recordings in three additional follow-up groups of ALL patients.
Main Results:
- Only three follow-up patients exhibited VEP results outside the normal range.
- The six children studied longitudinally did not develop new VEP abnormalities during early ALL treatment.
- While group differences were detected, VEPs showed no evidence of utility in monitoring individual ALL patients.
Conclusions:
- VEPs are unlikely to be a useful tool for monitoring individual patients undergoing ALL treatment.
- Further research may be needed to explore alternative or complementary methods for toxicity screening in pediatric ALL.
- The findings do not support the use of VEPs for routine screening of neurotoxicity in this population.