Neuropsychological functioning following systemic treatment in women treated for breast cancer: a review

Abstract

The aim of this review was to evaluate the effect of treatment and illness-related factors on neuropsychological functioning in women treated for breast cancer. Eight studies were identified examining neuropsychological test performance following systemic treatment. Six of the eight studies suggest that neuropsychological functioning may be impaired following treatment. However, there are a number of important methodological issues which limit interpretation of these results. Therefore, it is unclear whether neuropsychological outcome differs according to a range of treatment, biomedical and psychological factors. Larger samples with longitudinal follow-up are required in order to examine the treatment-related factors that best predict cognitive deficits.