Characterizing changes in executive functions and performance in daily activities after chemotherapy: A pre-post...

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Neuroscience
• Rehabilitation

Background:

• Chemotherapy often leads to cognitive impairments, specifically executive function (EF) deficits.
• These EF deficits can negatively impact cancer patients' ability to perform daily activities.
• Understanding these changes is crucial for supportive care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate changes in executive functions (EF) in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.
• To assess the impact of chemotherapy-induced EF changes on daily activity performance.
• To explore patient experiences through qualitative data.

Main Methods:

• Convergent parallel mixed-method pre-post experimental design.
• Adult cancer patients (stages I-III, non-CNS malignancy) were studied pre- and post-chemotherapy (12 weeks).
• Assessed daily activity performance (Canadian Occupational Performance Measure), EF, cognition, fatigue, and emotional well-being; qualitative data via open-ended questions.

Main Results:

• Pre-chemotherapy, no significant difficulties in daily activities were reported.
• Post-chemotherapy, executive function impairments became apparent.
• The study identified a clear link between EF deficits and reduced daily activity performance.

Conclusions:

• Integrating quantitative and qualitative data provides a holistic view of cognitive changes.
• Findings highlight the need for interventions to mitigate cognitive decline.
• Effective interventions can help minimize deterioration in daily activities post-chemotherapy.