E-Mail IMAGE: Heather Conklin, PhD, of St. Jude Psychology, contributed to research that studied risk factors of certain cancer treatments in children. view more Credit: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Childhood cancer and its treatment can result in cognitive struggles. Scientists atSt. Jude Children's Research Hospital are studying the risk factors. They looked at social and economic issues in children with brain tumors treated with radiation. These patients have the greatest risk of cognitive problems. Scientists followed a group of St. Jude patients for 10 years. The children all had conformal radiation therapy. For each patient, researchers looked at certain factors. These included the parent's job, education level, and whether it was a single parent home. The children were from different backgrounds.