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Review
. 2017 Mar;11(1):46-51.
doi: 10.1097/SPC.0000000000000247.

Cognitive behavioral therapy for cancer-related cognitive dysfunction

Shelly Kucherer  1 , Robert J Ferguson
Affiliations
Review

Cognitive behavioral therapy for cancer-related cognitive dysfunction

Shelly Kucherer et al. Curr Opin Support Palliat Care. 2017 Mar.

Abstract

Purpose of review: To provide the reader with an overview of the cognitive-behavioral conceptualization of cancer-related cognitive dysfunction (CRCD) and how cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can play an important role in treatment.

Recent findings: Recent findings show that Memory and Attention Adaptation Training (MAAT), a CBT developed to help cancer survivors develop adaptive skills to improve daily cognitive performance and emotional coping, may be an efficacious treatment of CRCD and can be delivered through videoconference technology to improve survivor access to care.

Summary: The etiology of CRCD remains largely undetermined and likely is produced by multiple mechanisms. This can include neuronal death, microvascular damage, inflammatory processes, and psychological factors of perceptions of inadequate cognitive capacity to meet performance demands and related emotional distress. As a result, there are a variety of treatments currently being researched. More research with larger sample sizes, multiple clinicians and multiple sites are needed to confirm efficacy, but CBT approaches such as Memory and Attention Adaptation Training that address multiple psychological factors involved may offer a flexible nonpharmacological approach to CRCD that optimizes quality of life outcomes.

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Conflict of interest statement

Drs. Kucherer and Ferguson report no conflicts of interest between industry, funding sources and results and conclusions contained within this report.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Diathesis-Stress and Appraisal Model of CRCD and MAAT Components of Change.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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