Psycholinguistic Assessment of Cognitive Function in Breast Cancer Survivors

To gather preliminary data on correlations among psycholinguistic measures, self-report of cognitive function, and performance on neurocognitive tests in breast cancer survivors.

Participants were breast cancer survivors who reported issues with cognitive function after completion of chemotherapy. This secondary analysis used data from participants in parent studies at two National Cancer Institute-designated cancer centers.

Qualitative interview transcripts (N = 52) underwent psycholinguistic analyses for grammatical and semantic complexity. Relationships among six psycholinguistic variables, self-report of cognitive function, and performance on neurocognitive tests were examined.

Three grammatical complexity variables had a significant positive correlation to self-report of cognitive function. One semantic complexity variable had a significant positive correlation to delayed recall neurocognitive tests.

Results suggest that psycholinguistic analysis may be used to assess cognitive function among breast cancer survivors. Confirmatory studies are needed to establish the correlation between psycholinguistic measures, self-report of cognitive function, and domain-specific tests of neurocognitive performance, as well as to evaluate longitudinal sensitivity to change.