Neurotoxic Effects of Anthracycline- vs Nonanthracycline-Based Chemotherapy on Cognition in Breast Cancer Survivors. JAMA oncology Kesler, S. R., Blayney, D. W. 2016; 2 (2): 185-192

Abstract

Chemotherapy exposure is a known risk factor for cancer-related cognitive impairments. Anthracycline-based regimens are commonly used chemotherapies that have been shown to be associated with cognitive impairment and brain changes in clinical studies.To directly compare the effects of anthracycline and nonanthracycline regimens on cognitive status and functional brain connectivity.In this observational study, we retrospectively examined cognitive and resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging data acquired from 62 primary breast cancer survivors (mean [SD] age, 54.7 [8.5] years) who were more than 2 years off-therapy, on average. Twenty of these women received anthracycline-based chemotherapy as part of their primary treatment, 19 received nonanthracycline regimens, and 23 did not receive any chemotherapy. Participants were enrolled at a single academic institution (Stanford University) from 2008 to 2014, and the study analyses were performed at this time.Cognitive status was measured using standardized neuropsychological tests, and functional brain connectivity was evaluated using resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging with a focus on the brain's default mode network.The anthracycline group demonstrated significantly lower verbal memory performance including immediate recall (F?=?3.73; P?=?.03) and delayed recall (F?=?11.11; P?

View details for DOI 10.1001/jamaoncol.2015.4333

View details for PubMedID 26633037

View details for PubMedCentralID PMC4838415