The Efficacy of a Six-Week Cognitive Training Program to Offset Chemotherapy-Induced Cognitive Impairments in Cancer Survivors

Chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment, also known as “chemo brain”, is a detrimental side effect of cancer treatment. Chemo brain is a collection of cognitive deficits experienced by some individuals during and/or following chemotherapy treatment that can negatively affect the memory function of cancer survivors (CS). Studies have shown that mental training programs are able to produce significant improvements in the cognition of CS who have undergone chemotherapy. PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of a six-week cognitive training intervention designed to help stabilize and improve the memory and cognitive function of CS. METHODS: Nine CS (64±5 yrs) were evaluated at baseline (BL) and six weeks (6W) using the following tests: Subjective memory via the Fundamental Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Cognitive Function (FACT-Cog) and Memory Functioning Questionnaire (MFQ); Objective memory via the Brief Cognitive Assessment Tool (BCAT); and quality of life via the Fundamental Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G). The cognitive training intervention consisted of one, one-hour session/week for six continuous weeks. The training program included basic memory techniques, delayed verbal recall practice, executive functioning, and visuospatial work. Group work and exercises were implemented during the training sessions to facilitate “real life” practice. Dependent t-tests and Pearson product moment correlations were used to analyze the data. All significance was accepted at pRESULTS: Significant improvement was observed for the BCAT from BL (43±4) to 6W (48±3). There were no other significant differences observed for any of the remaining dependent variables. A very strong direct relationship was detected between the change in scores over the six weeks between the FACT-G and the FACT-Cog (r=0.86). CONCLUSION: Objective memory significantly improved from BL to 6W, while the remaining subjective variables did not change. These results indicate that CS did not perceive a change in their subjective memory which could explain why their quality of life was also unchanged. The significant relationship found between changes the in FACT-Cog and FACT-G suggest that once perceived memory improvements are made, then quality of life improvements would be noted as well. These results advocate for the implementation of longer memory training interventions in hopes of improving both the objective and subjective memory of CS, which could lead to improved quality of life