Chemotherapy-induced prospective memory impairment in patients with breast cancer

Psychooncology. 2013 Oct;22(10):2391-5. doi: 10.1002/pon.3291. Epub 2013 May 15.

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the event-based prospective memory (EBPM) and time-based prospective memory (TBPM) in chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment in patients with breast cancer.

Methods: Forty patients with breast cancer who underwent adjuvant chemotherapy and 40 age-matched and education-matched healthy women were administered with a battery of neuropsychological tests including EBPM and TBPM tasks.

Results: A significant difference between breast cancer patients and controls was found in the scores on the mini-mental state examination (t = -11.684, p < 0.01), verbal fluency test (t = -7.939, p < 0.01), and digit span (t = -2.538, p < 0.05). Compared with healthy controls, breast cancer patients exhibited a poorer performance on EBPM (t = -7.096, p < 0.01) but not on TBPM (t = -1.921, p > 0.05).

Conclusions: Our results suggest that breast cancer patients who had undergone adjuvant chemotherapy show deficits in EBPM but not in TBPM.

Keywords: cancer; chemotherapy; cognitive; oncology; prospective memory.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Antineoplastic Agents / adverse effects*
  • Breast Neoplasms / drug therapy
  • Breast Neoplasms / psychology*
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Chemotherapy, Adjuvant / adverse effects
  • Cognition Disorders / chemically induced
  • Cognition Disorders / psychology*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Memory Disorders / chemically induced
  • Memory Disorders / psychology*
  • Memory, Episodic*
  • Middle Aged
  • Neuropsychological Tests

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents