What Do Perceived Cognitive Problems Reflect?

Catherine M. Bender, PhD, Maria L. Pacella, BA, Susan M. Sereika, PhD, Adam M. Brufsky, MD, PhD, Victor G. Vogel, MD, MHS, Priya Rastogi, MD, Frances E. Casillo, BSN, Susan M. Richey, BS, and Christopher M. Ryan, PhD

Schools of Medicine and Nursing and the Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Women with breast cancer frequently report cognitive problems to healthcare providers during and after adjuvant therapy. Patients’ perceptions of their cognitive problems would be expected to relate to objectively measured cognitive impairments. We explored the relationship between perceived cognitive function and objective ratings of thinking ability in early-stage breast cancer patients receiving hormonal therapy. In particular, we targeted objective measures of learning and memory as the primary endpoints in this exploratory study. We included a comprehensive battery of objective measures of cognitive function to explore relationships between perceived cognitive problems and impairments in other domains of cognitive function. At a minimum, our results indicated that women’s complaints of cognitive problems should prompt additional assessment to clarify the bases of the problem and initiate appropriate intervention.

J Support Oncol 2008;6:238–242   print e-mail full text 113 kb