Comparative Effectiveness of Interventions to Treat Cancer Treatment-Related Cognitive Impairment in Adult Cancer...

Cancer treatment-related cognitive impairment (CTRCI) is a frequent and persistent consequence of systemic cancer therapy, adversely affecting quality of life and independence among cancer survivors.

To clarify the relative effectiveness of available treatments, we conducted a systematic review and network meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials evaluating psychological, pharmacological, and other interventions for established CTRCI in adult survivors of non-central nervous system cancers. Eligible trials reported objective outcomes in one or more of eight cognitive domains, including learning, memory, processing speed, word generation, cognitive flexibility, attention, working memory, and abstraction.

Eighteen studies met inclusion criteria, with 14 trials (n = 1100) contributing to network meta-analyses of immediate post-intervention effects across seven domains. A therapist-guided group intervention combining patient education and cognitive rehabilitation consistently ranked highest and was associated with significantly improved learning, memory, processing speed, attention, and working memory compared with a waitlist control, although the certainty of evidence (CoE) was low to very low and largely based on a single trial. Mindfulness-based interventions were also associated with improved processing speed (low CoE). Donepezil was associated with no benefit versus placebo for any domain.

While findings suggest that structured multimodal group interventions may represent the most promising strategy for CTRCI, CoE was low, and additional rigorous, standardized trials are required.