Natalie G Regier1,2, Aanand D Naik3,4, Elizabeth A Mulligan3,5, Ziad S Nasreddine6, Jane A Driver3,7,8, Yvonne H-F Sada4,9, Jennifer Moye3,10. 1. Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, Baltimore, Maryland. 2. Johns Hopkins Center for Innovative Care in Aging, Baltimore, Maryland. 3. VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, Massachusetts. 4. Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston, Texas. 5. San Francisco VA Healthcare System, San Francisco, California. 6. Service de Neurologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada. 7. Hematologic Malignancies Program, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts. 8. Brigham and Women's Hospital, Center for Older Adult Health, Boston, Massachusetts. 9. Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas. 10. Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: This study examines the demographic and clinical variables associated with cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI) in a sample of older, male, oral-digestive cancer survivors at VA Medical Centers in Boston and Houston. METHODS: A two-time point, longitudinal design was used, with cognitive assessment conducted at 6 and 18 months post-diagnosis. Using ANCOVA, the cognitive functioning of 88 older adults with head and neck, esophageal, gastric, or colorectal cancers was compared with that of 88 healthy controls. Paired t-tests examined cognitive change over time in the cancer group. Hierarchical linear regression examined variables potentially associated with cognitive impairment at 18 months. RESULTS: Forty-eight percent of cancer patients exhibited cognitive impairment 6 months post-cancer diagnosis, and 40% at 18 months. Cancer survivors were impaired relative to controls on measures of sustained attention, memory, and verbal fluency at 18 months, controlling for age. Older age, low hemoglobin, and cancer-related PTSD were associated with worse cognition at 18 months. CONCLUSIONS: CRCI is more frequent in older adults than reported in studies of younger adults and may be more frequent in men. Potential areas of intervention for CRCI include psychotherapy for cancer-related PTSD, treatment of anemia, and awareness of particularly vulnerable cognitive domains such as sustained attention, memory, and verbal fluency.
OBJECTIVE: This study examines the demographic and clinical variables associated with cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI) in a sample of older, male, oral-digestive cancer survivors at VA Medical Centers in Boston and Houston. METHODS: A two-time point, longitudinal design was used, with cognitive assessment conducted at 6 and 18 months post-diagnosis. Using ANCOVA, the cognitive functioning of 88 older adults with head and neck, esophageal, gastric, or colorectal cancers was compared with that of 88 healthy controls. Paired t-tests examined cognitive change over time in the cancer group. Hierarchical linear regression examined variables potentially associated with cognitive impairment at 18 months. RESULTS: Forty-eight percent of cancer patients exhibited cognitive impairment 6 months post-cancer diagnosis, and 40% at 18 months. Cancer survivors were impaired relative to controls on measures of sustained attention, memory, and verbal fluency at 18 months, controlling for age. Older age, low hemoglobin, and cancer-related PTSD were associated with worse cognition at 18 months. CONCLUSIONS: CRCI is more frequent in older adults than reported in studies of younger adults and may be more frequent in men. Potential areas of intervention for CRCI include psychotherapy for cancer-related PTSD, treatment of anemia, and awareness of particularly vulnerable cognitive domains such as sustained attention, memory, and verbal fluency.
Authors: Michelle Lycke; Lies Pottel; Hans Pottel; Lore Ketelaars; Karin Stellamans; Koen Van Eygen; Philippe Vergauwe; Patrick Werbrouck; Laurence Goethals; Patricia Schofield; Tom Boterberg; Philip R Debruyne Journal: Psychooncology Date: 2016-08-01 Impact factor: 3.894
Authors: Tim A Ahles; Andrew J Saykin; Brenna C McDonald; Yuelin Li; Charlotte T Furstenberg; Brett S Hanscom; Tamsin J Mulrooney; Gary N Schwartz; Peter A Kaufman Journal: J Clin Oncol Date: 2010-09-13 Impact factor: 44.544
Authors: Aanand D Naik; Lindsey A Martin; Michele Karel; Jennifer Schuster Wachen; Elizabeth Mulligan; Jeffrey S Gosian; Levi Ian Herman; Jennifer Moye Journal: BMC Health Serv Res Date: 2013-03-11 Impact factor: 2.655
Authors: Mackenzi Pergolotti; Nicolò Matteo Luca Battisti; Lynne Padgett; Alix G Sleight; Maya Abdallah; Robin Newman; Kathleen Van Dyk; Kelley R Covington; Grant R Williams; Frederiek van den Bos; YaoYao Pollock; Elizabeth A Salerno; Allison Magnuson; Isabella F Gattás-Vernaglia; Tim A Ahles Journal: J Geriatr Oncol Date: 2019-10-14 Impact factor: 3.599