Increased intellectual functioning in children with neuroblastoma

Neuroblastoma, a catecholamine-producing childhood peripheral tumor derived from the neural crest, is intriguing because of its genetic aberrations and its expression of neurotrophins, neuropeptides, and their receptors. The hypothesis that this tumor would be associated with alterations in cognitive functioning in children was tested. Depending on the age of the child, the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (either WISC-R or WISC-III) or the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale: Fourth Edition (SE-IV) was administered. The Neuroblastoma group (n = 23) had a significantly higher (p = .001) mean global IQ (M = 112.8, SD = 13.9) than a gender-matched cancer comparison group (n = 20; M = 98.9, SD = 17.0), after the effects of socio-economic status, age, and amount of schooling missed due to illness were statistically controlled by covariance. For the children who completed the Wechsler scales (n = 33), 7 with neuroblastoma obtained a maximum subtest scaled score of 19 whereas only 1 comparison child obtained this value (p = .01). We speculate that neuroblastoma may exert distant beneficial effects on the developing brain or there may be a genetic linkage between predisposition to the disease and amplified intellectual development.