Comparison of Objective and Subjective Measures of Cognitive Function in Women with and without a History of Breast Cancer
Authors: Evans Elizabeth Serex , Little Jonathan , McNeill Kara Teague , Poole Cara , Ramos Theresa , Hall Eric E. , Overman Amy A. , Bailey Stephen P. 
Published: June 2021

The purpose of this study was to examine potential differences in select objective and subjective measures of cognitive function in women with and without a history of breast cancer. Study participants included 25 women between the ages of 40–75 years, 14 of whom had completed treatments for Stage I–III invasive breast cancer (breast cancer survivors) and 11 of whom who did not have a history of cancer diagnosis or treatment (controls) Participants completed the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy‐Cognitive Function (FACT‐Cognitive Function), a 37‐item instrument which assesses self‐reported perceptions of cognitive impairments, abilities, comments from others, and impact on quality of life over the past 7 days. Participants also completed two computerized tests of attention: the Digit Span Test and the Flanker Task (Inquisit, Millisecond Software, LLC, Seattle, WA). Performance on the Digit Span was assessed by examining the mean forward and backward digit spans achieved. Performance on the Flanker Task was assessed by examining the error proportion and mean reaction times for mixed trial and blocked trial stimuli. Serum brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels were measured from whole blood samples using enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) techniques (R&D Systems Inc., Minneapolis, MN). Outcome measures were compared between the two study groups using independent samples t‐tests. Physical characteristics (i.e. age, height, body mass, BMI, percent body fat, and VO2peak) were similar between breast cancer survivors and controls (55.9 ± 7.4 years vs. 55.5 ± 7.0 years; 163.3 ± 4.8 cm vs. 165.1 ± 5.8 cm; 69.6 ± 11.7 kg vs. 75.8 ± 18.3 kg; 26.1 ± 4.4 kg/m2 vs. 27.9 ± 7.0 kg/m2; 32.8 ± 6.0% vs. 33.0 ± 6.4%; and 20.9 ± 6.3 mL/kg/min vs. 25.0 ± 9.6 mL/kg/min, respectively, p = 0.209–0.896). For the FACT‐Cognitive Function, breast cancer survivors reported a significantly lower total score as well as significantly lower subscale scores for Perceived Cognitive Impairments and Perceived Cognitive Abilities compared to controls (Table 1, p = 0.038, 0.039, and 0.036). Breast cancer survivors also performed significantly worse on both the forward and backward Digit Spans compared to controls (Table 2, p = 0.016 and 0.003), and displayed somewhat longer reaction times on both the blocked and mixed trial stimuli for the Flanker Task compared to controls (Table 2, p = 0.053 and 0.085). Serum BDNF levels were similar between breast cancer survivors and controls (63695.7 ± 51661.0 pg/mL vs. 105307.3 ± 71037.1 pg/mL, p = 0.121). These results suggest that although physical characteristics (i.e. age, BMI, body composition, and peak aerobic fitness) and serum BDNF levels may be similar between women with a history of breast cancer and women with no history of cancer, some decrements may exist in self‐reported cognitive function abilities and performance on computerized tests of attention and memory in women with a history of breast cancer. Understanding similarities and differences in responses between individuals with and without a history of cancer may yield more precise insight into devising therapies for cancer survivors that aim to mitigate the effects of treatments on cognitive function in this population.

Support or Funding Information

This work was supported by Elon University Faculty Research and Development funds.

This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.