Cognitive features 10 or more years after successful breast cancer survival: comparisons across types of cancer interventions

Abstract

The present study examined the long-term cognitive implications of cancer treatment among breast cancer survivors aged 65 years and older. Fifty-seven women survivors were compared to 30 healthy older female adult comparisons, matched in terms of age and education, with no history of cancer. Cancer survivors were also compared based on treatment intervention, involving chemotherapy (n = 27) versus local therapy through surgery and radiation (n = 30). As a group, the breast cancer survivors scored lower on measures of general cognitive function, working memory, psychomotor speed, and executive function, when compared to the normal comparisons. Among the cancer survivors, those who received local therapy scored lower than the other survivors and normal comparisons on measures of verbal learning, visual perception and construction, as well as visual attention and short-term retention. Our findings suggest that cognitive outcomes may involve more age-related deficits among older cancer survivors compared to matched healthy subjects.

Cognitive function in cancer survivors: analysis of the 1999–2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

“…A participant must be able to quickly compare and process the code box and blank boxes (processing speed), focus on this task for 120 seconds (attention), recall the corresponding symbol (memory), and quickly shift between pairs (executive function) [29]. Several epidemiologic studies have reported cancer patients performing worse on neuropsychological tests for these domains compared to healthy participants [27,28]. Thus, the DSST served as our primary outcome measuring cognitive function.…”

Frontal hypometabolism in elderly breast cancer survivors determined by [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET): a pilot study

“…The BC participants in the current imaging study were drawn from the survivor cohort from the studies reported by Yamada et al (2010) and Nguyen et al (2013), and healthy controls were drawn from a study examining changes in decision-making across the adult lifespan (Denburg et al, 2007). A more complete description of the recruitment procedures are discussed in these references.…”

“…Nguyen et al . () reported on the final sample of N = 87 subjects subdivided into individuals receiving chemotherapy, local therapy only and non‐cancer controls. Significant differences were seen between the groups for the MMSE, Letter‐Number Sequencing, Wisconsin Card Sorting Tasks and TMT, Part A with the BC survivors scoring lower even after controlling for age, education, and medical comorbidity.…”

“…An investigation into the long-term effects of BC has been conducted at our institution with the neuropsychological sequelae being reported by Yamada et al (2010) and Nguyen et al (2013). Yamada et al (2010) analyzed the neuropsychological function in 30 long-term elderly cancer survivors (at least 65 years at evaluation and at least 50 years at diagnosis) compared with matched controls.…”

“…Survivors also scored lower on tasks of working memory as measured by the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale Digit Span Reverse and Letter-Number Sequencing, suggesting potential dysfunction in frontal-subcortical brain regions. Nguyen et al (2013) reported on the final sample of N = 87 subjects subdivided into individuals receiving chemotherapy, local therapy only and non-cancer controls. Significant differences were seen between the groups for the MMSE, Letter-Number Sequencing, Wisconsin Card Sorting Tasks and TMT, Part A with the BC survivors scoring lower even after controlling for age, education, and medical comorbidity.…”