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Erschienen in:
11.11.2016 | Original Article
Cognitive function and its relationship to other psychosocial factors in lymphoma survivors
Erschienen in: Supportive Care in Cancer | Ausgabe 3/2017
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Purpose
The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of cognitive disturbance in lymphoma survivors and to explore relationships between cognitive function and other psychosocial factors.
Methods
A package of standardized questionnaires was sent to 622 lymphoma patients treated at the Ottawa Hospital in the preceding 5 years. Patients with central nervous system involvement were excluded. The questionnaires addressed cognitive function, pain, insomnia, fatigue, and mood. Of the patients in the sampling frame, 54 % responded to the survey and 42 % met inclusion/exclusion criteria. Sixteen percent (99/622) agreed to undergo computerized neuropsychological testing with CNS vital signs (CNSVS). Scores on the objective and subjective cognitive measures were compared to those of a healthy female control group from a previous study.
Results
The lymphoma group scored significantly lower than the controls on a cognitive rating scale (p = .018) and on CNSVS (p = .035). The difference on the CNSVS was primarily due to poorer attention and executive function scores in the lymphoma patients. The patients also had a higher frequency of impairment on both the objective (p = .009) and subjective (p < .001) cognitive measures. Among the lymphoma survivors, fatigue and anxiety were related to subjective cognitive disturbance (p < .001 for both), whereas pain was the only psychosocial measure associated with objective cognitive performance (p < .001).
Conclusions
These results suggest that cognitive disturbance may be a significant survivorship issue for lymphoma patients and should be more thoroughly investigated in this population.