Self-reported cognitive impairment after breast cancer treatment in young women from the ELIPPSE40 cohort: the long-term impact of chemotherapy.

Cognitive impairment (CI) is common after cancer treatments, but little is known about the long-term evolution of CI, especially in premenopausal women. Since September 2005, all consecutive women included in the French National Health Insurance Fund registry with a diagnosis of primary breast cancer, aged 18-40 years and living in South Eastern France, were asked to participate in a cohort study, including telephone interviews, medical data, and prescription refills of psychotropic drugs and adjuvant endocrine therapy. At each interview, CI is defined as self-report of frequent memory loss and attention deficits. As of February 2010, 222 women with available medical data had taken part in the 10-, 16-, and 28-month telephone interviews, with CI being reported by 37.4%, 36.5%, and 42.3% of participants, respectively. Tranquilizers' dispensation was associated with CI self-report at all three interviews; chemotherapy was reported only at the 28-month interview. At 28 months, besides chemotherapy and tranquilizer's dispensation, having a low educational level and not being a native French woman were also independently associated with CI. Reports of CI were common in young women and primarily related to psycho-social vulnerabilities and cancer treatment. As they affect quality of life, long-term CI complaints deserve greater consideration.