[Cognitive Deficits in Cancer Patients with Haematological Malignancies]

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Neuropsychology
• Psychology

Background:

• Chemotherapy (CHT) is associated with cognitive deficits, often termed chemo brain syndrome.
• Symptoms include impairments in executive functions, information processing speed, memory, attention, and motor speed.
• Empirical evidence for these cognitive manifestations remains ambiguous.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate cognitive function in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.
• To compare the sensitivity of two screening tests in detecting chemotherapy-induced cognitive deficits.

Main Methods:

• The study included 26 cancer patients with hematological malignancies who had received chemotherapy.
• Cognitive performance was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Montreal Cognitive Test (MoCA).

Main Results:

• MMSE detected cognitive deficits in 34.6% of patients.
• MoCA identified mild to moderate cognitive impairment in 80.7% of patients.
• Higher error rates were observed in memory, attention, spatial orientation, executive functions, and abstraction tasks; deficits correlated with age but not therapy duration.

Conclusions:

• Cognitive deficits are prevalent post-chemotherapy, with detection dependent on screening tool sensitivity.
• Screening scales like MoCA can indicate the need for further neuropsychological evaluation.
• Early diagnosis of cognitive dysfunction is crucial for timely psychological intervention to aid patient recovery.