Cognitive Impact of Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Ovarian Cancer

Launched by UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN, MADISON · Aug 8, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is looking at how chemotherapy given before surgery (called neoadjuvant chemotherapy) for advanced ovarian cancer might affect thinking and memory. The study will include 18 women who have recently been diagnosed with this type of ovarian cancer and are about to start chemotherapy treatment. Researchers want to understand if and how the treatment changes different aspects of how the brain works over about 10 months.

Women aged 18 or older who have a suspected diagnosis of epithelial ovarian cancer and are planning to receive specific chemotherapy drugs (usually carboplatin and paclitaxel, or similar medicines if needed) may be eligible. Participants might also receive additional medicines like bevacizumab or PARP inhibitors after chemotherapy. The study does not include women with a history of dementia, brain injury, serious hearing or vision problems, or those who don’t primarily speak English. During the study, participants will undergo tests to check their thinking skills at different times. This research aims to help doctors better understand the effects of chemotherapy on the brain, so they can improve care for women with ovarian cancer in the future.

Gender

FEMALE

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Age 18 or older
• • Pathological diagnosis of suspected epithelial ovarian cancer; of note, patients with suspected epithelial ovarian cancer who are pending a pathological diagnosis/biopsy may be enrolled onto the study ahead of their biopsy. If the biopsy result is later inconsistent with epithelial ovarian cancer, they will be removed from the study and replaced
• • Planned to received neoadjuvant chemotherapy with carboplatin and paclitaxel; alternatives to these agents including abraxane, docetaxel, cisplatin may be used if patients have a chemotherapy reaction or otherwise cannot receive carboplatin and paclitaxel per usual standard of care
• • Patients may be receiving bevacizumab and may receive PARP inhibitors as a maintenance treatment; those receiving any other targeted therapy will be excluded
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • History of diagnosed cognitive impairment, including dementia
• • History of traumatic brain injury
• • English is not their primary language
• • Known hearing or visual impairment not corrected with hearing devices and glasses/contacts
• • Upper extremity motor impairment that would impact ability to perform the Trail Making Test
• • Baseline Mini Mental State Exam (MMSE) score less than 18