Cognitive Impairment Associated with Cancer: A Brief Review

CONCLUSION
Cognitive impairment can affect daily functioning, quality of life, and capacity to work in patients with cancer and those in remission. Consequently, cognitive assessment is now an important and necessary part of a comprehensive oncological care plan. Cancer-related cognitive impairment might be due to the direct effects of the cancer itself, nonspecific factors, or comorbid conditions that are independent of the disease and/or due to the adverse effects of the treatment or combination of treatments given for the disease. The prevalence and extent of cognitive impairment associated with cancer is recognized but not well understood due, in part, to marked differences in the research methods and definitions used for evaluating cognitive functioning in these patients. Most studies have identified attention, memory, and information processing as the most frequent cognitive domains impacted by cancer and cancer-related treatments, but further research clearly is needed. Recent efforts have been made to develop common definitions to define cognitive impairment in cancer patients and to suggest guidelines for the most appropriate cognitive tests to be used.
Cognitive function has increasingly been recognized as a requisite therapeutic target in many diseases, including cancer. The extent of cognitive impairment that is observed in patients with cancer and those in remission make cognitive functioning a particularly important target for clinical trials and clinical practi...

Source: Innovations in Clinical Neuroscience - February 1, 2018 Category: Neuroscience Authors: ICN Online Editor Tags: Cognition Current Issue Neuro oncology Neurology Review cancer chemotherapy cognitive impairment neuropsychological assessment treatment Source Type: research