Online mental exercises help relieve chemo-brain symptoms in cancer patients

An online learning program may help cancer patients with chemo brain , a neurological problem, according to a study published in the January 2017 issue of the respected oncology journal Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Some cancer patients report cognitive (mental) problems after chemotherapy. This condition, which may arise from cancer itself or chemotherapy and is called chemo brain , is associated with poor quality of life, increased depression and anxiety, and prolonged chronic fatigue after treatment. There is no proven treatment for it.

This impairment of cognitive functions was not recognized until recently. Because it is most often associated with chemotherapy, it is called chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment, or chemo brain for short.

Study

People who completed 3 or more chemotherapy cycles within the past 5 years and reported concentration or memory problems, 242 adult cancer patients in total, were examined for the research. Women with breast cancer accounted for %89 of participants.

Participants were divided into 2 groups: one received online neurocognitive learning programs and the other standard care. The two groups were compared at treatment initiation, 15 weeks after intervention and after 6 months.

According to the study results:

• Standard-care and online-program participants were compared immediately after intervention and at the end of month 6.
• The online-program group had significantly reduced anxiety, depression and exhaustion symptoms compared with those receiving standard care.
• Initially, quality-of-life changes did not differ between groups, but after 6 months those receiving the online program had better quality of life.
• No difference in objective neuropsychological function was observed between groups either immediately after intervention or at the end of 6 months.

Insight from Posit Science is the name of this online cognitive rehabilitation program, which aimed to develop cognitive abilities through adaptive mental exercises so that information could be processed quickly and accurately.

Some people receiving cancer treatment clearly experience difficulty concentrating, focusing and remembering things. The cancer experience does not end on the final day of treatment. People who have encountered cancer and received treatment should make an active effort toward better quality of life and consider lifestyle changes.

Breast cancer treatment and survival rates are showing encouraging advances. This means increasing numbers of people develop the disease but continue their lives after successful treatment. Quality-of-life interventions such as this mental exercise study have the potential to contribute positively to our patients’ lives.

If future research can identify patients at risk of cognitive impairment, earlier intervention and probably better outcomes may be possible. Whether combining physical exercise with cognitive training provides benefits is another important research question.