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Systemic Chemotherapy For Breast Cancer, Lymphoma Can Affect Cognitive Functioning

Systemic chemotherapy can negatively impact on cognitive function according to the results of specific tests, say American researchers. These include measurements of standardized neuropsychologic tests and self reported memory changes.

There are suggestions, however, that these cognitive deficits may only be experience by a subgroup of survivors.

A research team at New Hampshire Hospital in Concord, New Hampshire compared the neuropsychological functioning of long term survivors of breast cancer and lymphoma who had received either standard- dose systemic chemotherapy or local therapy only.

Participants included long-term survivors from breast cancer or lymphoma, diagnosed five years previously, who were not now receiving cancer therapy and were disease free since completion of systemic chemotherapy. Thirty-five patients (aged 59.1 ± 10.7 years) had breast cancer, and 36 (aged 55.9 ± 12.1 years) had lymphoma. Additional participants also included patients who had received local therapy only: 35 patients with breast cancer (aged 60.6 ± 10.5 years) and 22 with lymphoma (aged 48.7 ± 11.7 years).

All patients completed a battery of neuropsychologic and psychologic tests according to the Centre for Epidemiological Study- Depression, Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and Fatigue Symptom Inventory.

Survivors treated with systemic chemotherapy scored notably lower on the battery of neuropsychologic tests by comparison with those who received local treatment only according to multivariate analysis of variance, controlling for age and education. This was particularly true in the domains of verbal memory (P< .01) and psychomotor functioning (P< .03).

Researchers concluded that the patients were also more likely to score in the lower quartile on the Neuropsychological Performance Index (39 vs 14 percent, P <.01) and to self report greater problems with their working memory on the Squire Memory Self- Rating Questionnaire (P <.02).
Journal of Clinical Oncology January 2002 Vol 20 No 2 pp 485-493. "Neuropsychologic Impact of Standard-Dose Systemic Chemotherapy in Long-Term Survivors of Breast Cancer and Lymphoma"

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