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. 2023 Sep 20;15(18):4643.
doi: 10.3390/cancers15184643.

Using Single-Case Experimental Design and Patient-Reported Outcome Measures to Evaluate the Treatment of Cancer-Related Cognitive Impairment in Clinical Practice

Robert J Ferguson  1 , Lauren Terhorst  2 , Benjamin Gibbons  3 , Donna M Posluszny  1 , Hsuan Chang  1 , Dana H Bovbjerg  4 , Brenna C McDonald  5
Affiliations

Using Single-Case Experimental Design and Patient-Reported Outcome Measures to Evaluate the Treatment of Cancer-Related Cognitive Impairment in Clinical Practice

Robert J Ferguson et al. Cancers (Basel). .

Abstract

Cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI) affects a large proportion of cancer survivors and has significant negative effects on survivor function and quality of life (QOL). Treatments for CRCI are being developed and evaluated. Memory and attention adaptation training (MAAT) is a cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) demonstrated to improve CRCI symptoms and QOL in previous research. The aim of this article is to describe a single-case experimental design (SCED) approach to evaluate interventions for CRCI in clinical practice with patient-reported outcome measures (PROs). We illustrate the use of contemporary SCED methods as a means of evaluating MAAT, or any CRCI treatment, once clinically deployed. With the anticipated growth of cancer survivorship and concurrent growth in the number of survivors with CRCI, the treatment implementation and evaluation methods described here can be one way to assess and continually improve CRCI rehabilitative services.

Keywords: cancer survivorship; cognition; cognitive-behavioral therapy; single-case experimental design.

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Conflict of interest statement

Ferguson is the lead author of Memory and Attention Adaptation Training (MAAT), which is an evidence-based cognitive-behavioral therapy for the treatment of cancer-related cognitive impairment, published by Oxford University Press. All co-authors report no potential or current conflicts of interest. In addition, the funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Example of CF8 outcomes in an A-B SCED for CRCI treatment.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Example of CF8 outcomes in a multiple-baseline across-subject design.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Example of a multiple baseline across symptoms design.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Example of MAAT cognitive function (CF8 T-score) and impact on quality of life (IQOL) outcomes in an A-B SCED.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Example of MAAT cognitive function (CF8 T-score) and impact on quality of life (IQOL) outcomes in an A-B SCED.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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