Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Jan 1;20(1):222-228.
doi: 10.11124/JBIES-21-00115.

Impact of "chemobrain" in childhood cancer survivors on social, academic, and daily living skills: a qualitative systematic review protocol

Ines Semendric  1 , Danielle Pollock  2 , Olivia J Haller  1 , Rebecca P George  3 , Lyndsey E Collins-Praino  1 , Alexandra L Whittaker  3
Affiliations

Impact of "chemobrain" in childhood cancer survivors on social, academic, and daily living skills: a qualitative systematic review protocol

Ines Semendric et al. JBI Evid Synth. .

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this review is to examine children's experiences of chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment (also known as "chemobrain") and the impact of chemobrain on children's social, academic, and daily living skills.

Introduction: The effect of childhood chemotherapy treatment on cognition is of concern because of the vulnerable nature of children's developing brains and the potential to cause lifelong detriments socially, academically, and economically. Furthermore, this population is under-represented in the chemobrain literature and in survivorship care plans. As cancer survivorship among this group increases, it is important to understand childhood experiences so that rehabilitation strategies and suitable supports can be put in place.

Inclusion criteria: This review of qualitative studies will focus on the pediatric population (0 to 18 years of age) during and/or following chemotherapy treatment to identify their experiences with chemobrain. The review will include any studies using a qualitative research methodology (eg, surveys, focus groups, interview transcripts), conducted in any geographic location, where experiences are presented from the child's perspective. Studies assessing children's experiences of cancer, other chemotherapy-related side effects, or the parent's personal experience will be excluded.

Methods: A search of MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, and CINAHL databases will be conducted. Full-text, English-only articles employing a qualitative research methodology will be included in the screening process. Two independent reviewers will retrieve and screen full-text studies, and assess methodological quality of the included studies. Meta-aggregation will be performed and a ConQual Summary of Findings will present the confidence in the findings.

Systematic review registration number: PROSPERO CRD42021240573.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Wigmore P. The effect of systemic chemotherapy on neurogenesis, plasticity and memory. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2013;15:211–240.
    1. Ahles TA, Root JC, Ryan EL. Cancer- and cancer treatment-associated cognitive change: an update on the state of the science. J Clin Oncol 2012;30 (30):3675–3686.
    1. El-Agamy SE, Abdel-Aziz AK, Esmat A, Azab SS. Chemotherapy and cognition: comprehensive review on doxorubicin-induced chemobrain. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol 2019;84 (1):1–14.
    1. Myers JS. Chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment. Clin J Oncol Nurs 2009;13 (4):413–421.
    1. Wefel JS, Lenzi R, Theriault RL, Davis RN, Meyers CA. The cognitive sequelae of standard-dose adjuvant chemotherapy in women with breast carcinoma: results of a prospective, randomized, longitudinal trial. Cancer 2004;100 (11):2292–2299.

Publication types