Original Article

You have full text access to this OnlineOpen article

Acute and late onset cognitive dysfunction associated with chemotherapy in women with breast cancer

  1. Jeffrey S. Wefel PhD1,†,*,
  2. Angele K. Saleeba PhD1,
  3. Aman U. Buzdar MD2,
  4. Christina A. Meyers PhD1

Article first published online: 28 APR 2010

DOI: 10.1002/cncr.25098

Issue

Cancer

Cancer

Volume 116, Issue 14, pages 3348–3356, 15 July 2010

Additional Information

How to Cite

Wefel, J. S., Saleeba, A. K., Buzdar, A. U. and Meyers, C. A. (2010), Acute and late onset cognitive dysfunction associated with chemotherapy in women with breast cancer. Cancer, 116: 3348–3356. doi: 10.1002/cncr.25098

Author Information

  1. 1

    The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Section of Neuropsychology, Department of Neuro-Oncology, Houston, Texas

  2. 2

    The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Department of Breast Medical Oncology, Houston, Texas

  1. †

    Fax: (713) 794-4999

*Department of Neuro-Oncology, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, P.O. Box 301402-Unit 431, Houston, TX 77230-1402

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 2 JUL 2010
  2. Article first published online: 28 APR 2010
  3. Manuscript Accepted: 13 OCT 2009
  4. Manuscript Revised: 8 JUL 2009
  5. Manuscript Received: 14 APR 2009

SEARCH

SEARCH BY CITATION

ARTICLE TOOLS

View Full Article (HTML) Get PDF (272K)

REFERENCES

  • 1
    National Cancer Institute. Clinical Alert. Bethesda, Md: National Cancer Institute; 1988.
  • 2
    Burstein HJ, Harris JR, Morrow M. Malignant tumors of the breast. In: DeVitaVT, LawrenceTS, RosenbergSA, eds. Cancer Principles and Practice of Oncology. Philadelphia, Pa: Lippincott Williams Wilkins; 2008: 1606-1654.
  • 3
    Keime-Guibert F, Napolitano M, Delattre J-Y. Neurological complications of radiotherapy and chemotherapy. J Neurol. 1998; 245: 695-708.
  • 4
    Hortobagyi GN, Bodey GP, Buzdar AU, et al. Evaluation of high dose versus standard dose FAC chemotherapy for advanced breast cancer in protected environment units: a prospective randomized trial. J Clin Oncol. 1987; 5: 354-364.
  • 5
    Yadav BS, Sharma SC. 5-fluorouracil associated encephalopathy: case report. Indian J Pharmacol. 2005; 37: 129-131.
  • 6
    Takimoto CH, Lu ZH, Zhang R, et al. Severe neurotoxicity following 5-fluorouracil-based chemotherapy in a patient with dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase deficiency. Clin Cancer Res. 1996; 2: 477-481.
  • 7
    Diamandidou E, Buzdar AU, Smith TL, et al. Treatment-related leukemia in breast cancer patients treated with fluorouracil-doxorubicin-cyclophosphamide combination adjuvant chemotherapy: The University of Texas M. D. Anderson cancer Center experience. J Clin Oncol. 1996; 14: 2722-2730.
  • 8
    Choi SM, Lee SH, Yang YS et al. 5-fluorouracil-induced leukoencephalopathy in patients with breast cancer. J Korean Med Sci. 2001; 16: 328-334.
  • 9
    Greenwald ES: Organic mental changes with fluorouracil (letter). J Am Med Assoc. 1976; 235: 248-249.
  • 10
    Royatta M, Raine CS. Taxol-induced neuropathy: chronic effect of local injection. J Neurocytol. 1986; 15: 483-496.
  • 11
    Guchelaar HJ, Ten Napel CHH, de Vries EGE, et al. Clinical, toxicological and pharmaceurical aspects of the antineoplastic drug taxol: a review. Clin Oncol. 1994; 6: 40-48.
  • 12
    Perry JR, Warner E. Transient encephalopathy after paclitaxel (Taxol) infusion. Neurology. 1996; 46: 1596-1599.
  • 13
    Ziske CG, Schottker B, Gorschluter M, et al. Acute transient encephalopathy after paclitaxel infusion: report of three cases. Ann Oncol. 2002; 13: 629-631.
  • 14
    Yavas O, Boruban C, Eren O, et al. Acute reversible life-threatening encephalopathy following conventional doses of paclitaxel infusion. The Internet Journal of Oncology. 2006; 3( 2).
  • 15
    Wefel JS, Lenzi R, Theriault RL, et al. The cognitive sequelae of standard-dose adjuvant chemotherapy in women with breast carcinoma: results of a prospective, randomized, longitudinal trial. Cancer. 2004; 100: 2292-2299.
    Direct Link:
  • 16
    Jenkins V, Shilling V, Deutsch G, et al. A 3-year prosepctive study of the effects of adjuvant treatments on cognition in women with early stage breast cancer. Br J Cancer. 2006; 94: 828-834.
  • 17
    Schagen SB, Muller MJ, Boogerd W, et al. Change in cognitive function after chemotherapy: a prospective longitudinal study in breast cancer patients. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2006; 98: 1742-1745.
  • 18
    Hurria A, Rosen C, Hudis C, et al. Cognitive function of older patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer: a pilot prospective longitudinal study. Am Geriatr Soc. 2006; 54: 925-931.
    Direct Link:
  • 19
    Bender CM, Sereika SM, Berga SL, et al. Cognitive impairment associated with adjuvant therapy in breast cancer. Psychooncology. 2006; 15: 422-430.
    Direct Link:
  • 20
    Hermelink K, Untch M, Lux MP, et al. Cognitive function during neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer: results of a prospective, multicenter, longitudinal study. Cancer. 2007; 109: 1905-1913.
    Direct Link:
  • 21
    Quesnel C, Savard J, Ivers H. Cognitive impairments associated with breast cancer treatments: results from a longitudinal study. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2008; 116: 113-123.
  • 22
    Stewart A, Collins B, Mackenzie J, et al. The cognitive effects of adjuvant chemotherapy in early stage breast cancer: a prospective study. Psychooncology. 2008; 17: 122-130.
    Direct Link:
  • 23
    Wefel JS, Lenzi R, Theriault R, et al. ‘Chemobrain’ in breast carcinoma? A prologue. Cancer. 2004; 101: 466-475.
    Direct Link:
  • 24
    Ahles TA, Saykin AJ, McDonald BC, et al. Cognitive function in breast cancer patients prior to adjuvant treatment. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2008; 110: 143-152.
  • 25
    Buzdar AU, Singletary SE, Theriault RL, et al. Prospective evaluation of paclitaxel versus combination chemotherapy with fluorouracil, doxorubicin, and cyclophosphamide as neoadjuvant therapy in patients with operable breast cancer. J Clin Oncol. 1999; 17: 3412-3417.
  • 26
    Ingraham LJ, Aiken CB. An empirical approach to determining criteria for abnormality in test batteries with multiple measures. Neuropsychology. 1996; 10: 120-124.
  • 27
    Chelune GJ, Naugle RI, Luders H, et al. Individual change after epilepsy surgery: practice effects and base-rate information. Neuropsychology. 1993; 7: 41-52.
  • 28
    Jacobsen NS, Truax P. Clinical significance: a statistical approach to defining meaningful change in psychotherapy research. J Consul Clin Psych. 1991; 59: 12-19.
  • 29
    Ouimet LA, Stewart A, Collins B, et al. Measuring neuropsychological change following breast cancer treatment: an analysis of statistical models. J Clin Exp Neuropsychol. 2009; 31: 73-89.
  • 30
    Dikmen SS, Heaton RK, Grant I, et al. Test-retest reliability and practice effects of Expanded Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Test Battery. J Int Neuropsychol Soc. 1999; 5: 346-356
  • 31
    McSweeny AJ, Naugle RI, Chelune GJ, et al. “T scores for change”: an illustration of a regression approach to depicting change in clinical neuropsychology. The Clin Neuropsychol. 2003; 7: 300-312.
  • 32
    Benedict RHB, Zgaljardic DJ. Practice effects during repeated administrations of memory tests with and without alternate forms. J Clin Exp Neuropsychol. 1998; 20: 339-352.
  • 33
    Wilson BA, Watson PC, Baddeley AD, et al. Improvement or simply practice? The effects of twenty repeated assessments on people with and without brain injury. J Int Neuropsychol Soc. 2000; 6: 469-479.
  • 34
    Temkin NR, Heaton RK, Grant I, et al. Detecting significant change in neuropsychological test performance: A comparison of four models. J Int Neuropsychol Soc. 1999; 5: 357-369.
  • 35
    Okeda R, Karakama T, Kimura S, et al. Neuropathologic study of chronic neurotoxicity of 5-fluorouracil and its masked compounds in dogs. Acta Neuropathologica. 1984; 63: 334-343.
  • 36
    Akiba T, Okeda R, Tajima T. Metabolites of 5-fluorouracil, alpha-beta-alanine and fluoroacetic acid, directly injure myelinated fibers in tissue culture. Acta Neuropathologica. 1996; 92: 8-13.
  • 37
    Winocur G, Vardy J, Binns MA, et al. The effects of the anti-cancer drugs, methotrexate and 5-fluorouracil, on cognitive function in mice. Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 2006; 85: 66-75.
  • 38
    Han R, Yang YM, Dietrich J, Luebke A, et al. Systemic 5-fluorouracil treatment causes a syndrome of delayed myelin destruction in the central nervous system. J Biol. 2008; 7:article 12.
  • 39
    Gandal MJ, Ehrlichman RS, Rudnick ND, et al. A novel elctrophysiological model of chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairments in mice. Neuroscience. 2008; 157: 95-104.
  • 40
    Dietrich J, Han R, Yang Y, et al. CNS progenitor cells and oligodendrocytes are targets of chemotherapeutic agents in vitro and in vivo. J Biol. 2006; 5:article 22.
  • 41
    Li CQ, Liu D, Huang L, et al. Cytosine arabinoside treatment impairs the remote spatial memory function and induces dendritic retraction in the anterior cingulated cortex of rats. Brain Res Bull. 2008; 77: 237-240.
  • 42
    Madhyastha S, Somayaji SN, Rao MS, et al. Hippocampal brain amines in methotrexate-induced learning and memory deficit. Can J Physiol Pharmacol. 2002; 80: 1076-1084.
  • 43
    Crandall J, Sakai Y, Zhang J, et al. 13-cis-retinoic acid suppresses hippocampal cell division and hippocampal-dependent learning in mice. PNAS. 2004; 101: 5111-5116.
  • 44
    Wechsler D. Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale—Revised. San Antonio, Tex: The Psychological Corporation; 1981.
  • 45
    Reitan RM. Trail Making Test Manual for Administration and Scoring. Tucson, Ariz: Reitan Neuropsychology Laboratory; 1992.
  • 46
    Levine A, Miller E, Becker J, et al. Normative data for determining significance of test-retest differences on eight common neuropsychological instruments. The Clin Neuropsychol. 2004; 18: 373-384.
  • 47
    Brandt J. The Hopkins verbal learning test: development of a new memory test with six equivalent forms. The Clin Neuropsychol. 1991; 5: 125-142.
  • 48
    Benedict RHB, Schretlen D, Groninger L, et al. Hopkins verbal learning test-revised: normative data and analysis of inter-form and test-retest reliability. The Clin Neuropsychol. 1998; 12: 43-55.
  • 49
    Benton AL, Hamsher K. Multilingual Aphasia Examination. Iowa City: AJA Associates; 1983.
  • 50
    Ruff RM, Light RH, Parker SB. Benton controlled oral word association test: reliability and updated norms. Arch Clin Neuropsychol. 1996; 11: 329-338.
  • 51
    Beck AT, Steer RA. Beck Depression Inventory manual. San Antonio, Tex: The Psychological Corporation; 1987.
  • 52
    Spielberger CD, Gorsuch RL, Lushene R, et al. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Palo Alto, Calif: Consulting Psychologists Press; 1983.
  • 53
    Brady MJ, Cella DF, Mo F, et al. Reliability and validity of the functional assessment of cancer therapy-breast quality-of-life instrument. J Clin Oncol. 1997; 15: 974-986.
  • 54
    Mehlsen M, Pedersen AD, Jensen AD, et al. No indications of cognitive side-effects in a prospective study of breast cancer patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy. Psychooncology. 2009; 18: 248-257.
    Direct Link:
  • 55
    Shilling V, Jenkins V, Morris R, et al. The effects of adjuvant chemotherapy on cognition in women with breast cancer—preliminary results of an observational longitudinal study. The Breast. 2005; 14: 142-150.
  • 56
    Benedict RHB, Zgaljardic DJ. Practice effects during repeated administration of memory tests with and without alternate forms. JCEN. 1998; 20: 339-352.
  • 57
    Stern Y. What is cognitive reserve? Theory and research application of the reserve concept. JINS. 2002; 8: 448-460.
View Full Article (HTML) Get PDF (272K)