Computer-Based Training in Patients With Post-Chemotherapy Cognitive Impairment

Launched by POSIT SCIENCE CORPORATION · Oct 11, 2006

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women in the United States, with an estimated 211,240 new cases of invasive breast cancer diagnosed among women, and 1,700 diagnosed in men, in 2005. While cure rates have improved significantly, chemotherapy for breast cancer is associated with a number of negative side effects. One of which is a deficit in cognitive function, a condition commonly referred to as "chemobrain". While the debate about cognitive decline being a result of chemotherapy is still ongoing, there is clear evidence of cognitive decline in women with breast cancer post-ch...

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Age 21 or older at the time of consent.
• • Diagnosis of invasive breast cancer or recurrence warranting treatment with chemotherapeutic agents in the past 5 years.
• • Cognitive decline, as reported by the patient, friends, or family.
• • Fluent English speaker.
• • Willing and able to commit to the 6-month time requirement of the entire study period.
• • Willing to provide informed consent
• • Willing to participate in training of the program.
• • Agrees to weekly contact
• Exclusion Criteria:
• * Severe hearing impairments that would:
• • limit the ability to receive instructions and support; and
• • hinder performance on the computer training program.
• • Self-report of untreated Axis I or II disorders (with the exception of depression, anxiety disorders, and panic disorders).
• * Self-report of current diagnosis or history of major neurological illness including, but not limited to:
• • Alzheimer's disease
• • Parkinson's disease
• • Multiple sclerosis
• • Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
• • History of a stroke, transient ischemic attack (TIA) or traumatic brain injury within the past year; or lifetime history of stroke, TIA, or traumatic brain injury that has left residual expressive or receptive language problems.
• • Self-report of fibromyalgia or symptoms of tremor severe enough to prevent the use of a computer mouse or other pointing device.
• • Unwillingness to complete the required assessments.
• • Patient is not capable of giving informed consent or unable to comprehend and/or follow instructions.