Cognitive function in women with breast cancer receiving adjuvant chemotherapy and healthy controls

The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of chemotherapy and psychological distress on cognitive function in patients with breast cancer receiving chemotherapy compared to healthy controls.

Eighteen women with non-metastatic breast cancer who have been exposed to chemotherapy were evaluated with a battery of neuropsychological and psychological tests before (time 1) and 1 month after chemotherapy (time 2). Twenty healthy women were assessed at matched intervals.

The relationship between cognitive change and mood change from time 1 to time 2 was compared between breast cancer patients and healthy controls. Independent t tests revealed no differences in change scores for each neuropsychological test and psychological questionnaire between the chemotherapy and control groups. However, in the chemotherapy group, change scores for verbal memory test and executive function test were significantly and negatively correlated with change score for Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS)-D (r ≤ -0.498, p < 0.05). Furthermore, change scores for the verbal memory test and processing function test were also significantly and negatively correlated with change score for HADS-A (r ≤ -0.503, p < 0.05). The multiple regression model for the processing function test accounted for a significant amount of variance (model adjusted R (2) = 0.157, p < 0.05), where the standard partial regression coefficient for HADS-A change score was statistically significant (β = -0.441, p < 0.01), whereas the standard partial regression coefficients for the group and for the HADS-D change score were -0.297 (p = 0.071) and 0.026 (p = 0.868), respectively.

Higher psychological distress was associated with poor cognitive function in patients receiving chemotherapy in this study.