Korean J Women Health Nurs.  2012 Mar;18(1):1-16. 10.4069/kjwhn.2012.18.1.1.

Experiences of Changes in Cognitive Function for Women treated with Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer

Affiliations
  • 1College of Nursing, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Korea.
  • 2Department of Nursing, Daegu Polytechnic College, Daegu, Korea. bbhhsun@dpu.ac.kr
  • 3Department of Nursing, Dongyang University, Yeongju, Korea.
  • 4Department of Nursing, Kimcheon Science College, Gimcheon, Korea.
  • 5Department of Nursing, Yeungnam College of Science and Technology, Daegu, Korea.

Abstract

PURPOSE
The purpose of this study was to describe the experiences of the process of the change in cognitive function for women treated with chemotherapy for breast cancer.
METHODS
There were ten participants in total in this study. Data were gathered utilizing in-depth interviews over 3 times from September 2010 to January 2011. Data were analyzed by employing Strauss and Corbin's (1998) grounded theory methodology.
RESULTS
Findings indicate that causal conditions of these results were 'side effects of chemotherapy' and 'menopausal state', including contextual conditions as, 'mental fatigue' and 'anxiety about recurrence'. The core category was identified as 'confronting with unexpected chaos'. Intervening conditions were 'support from other people', 'lack of information on cognitive impairment'. Interaction strategies were 'changing the habit of life', 'making efforts for living life' and 'seeking for medical information'. Consequences of the process were 'physical restriction', 'difficulty in social life', 'disturbed working ability' and 'psychological distress'.
CONCLUSION
The results of this study show that nurses should recognize there is a notable difference between individual patient's contextual conditions and interactive strategies. Furthermore educational information and individualized intervention should be provided to improve cognitive function for women with breast cancer.

Keyword

Chemotherapy; Cognition; Breast neoplasms; Women

MeSH Terms

Breast
Breast Neoplasms
Cognition
Female
Humans

Figure

  • Figure 1 Experiences of cognitive function change in women treated with chemotherapy for breast cancer.


Reference

1. Bender C.M., Paraska K.K., Sereika S.M., Ryan C.M., Berga S.L. Cognitive function and reproductive hormones in adjuvant therapy for breast cancer: A critical review. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management. 2001. 21:407–424.
2. Biglia N., Moggio G., Peano E., Sgandurra P., Ponzone P., Nappi R.E., et al. Effects of surgical and adjuvant therapies for breast cancer on sexuality, cognitive functions, and body weight. The Journal of Sexual Medicine. 2010. 7:1891–1900.
Article
3. Boykoff N., Moieni M., Subramanian S.K. Confronting chemobrain: An in-depth look at survivors' reports of impact on work, social networks, and health care response. Journal of Cancer Survivorship : Research and Practice. 2009. 3:223–232.
Article
4. Brown C.G. A guide to oncology symptom management. 2009. Pittsburgh, PA: Oncology Nursing Society.
5. Collins B., Mackenze J., Stewart A., Bielajew C., Verma S. Cognitive effects of chemotherapy in post-menopausal breast cancer patients 1 year after treatment. Psycho-Oncology. 2009. 18:134–143.
Article
6. Debess J., Riis J.Ø., Pedersen L., Ewertz M. Cognitive function and quality of life after surgery for early breast cancer in North Jutland, Denmark. Acta Oncologica. 2009. 48:532–540.
Article
7. Fitch M.I., Armstrong J., Tsang S. Patient's experiences with cognitive changes after chemotherapy. Canadian Oncology Nursing Journal. 2008. 18:180–192.
Article
8. Ganz P.A. Cognitive dysfunction following adjuvant treatment of breast cancer: A new dose-limiting toxiceffect? Journal of the National Cancer Institute. 1998. 90:182–183.
9. Guba E.G., Lincoln Y.S. Fourth generation evaluation. 1989. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.
10. Hermelink K., Kuüchenhoff H., Untch M., Bauerfeind I., Lux M.P., Buühner M., et al. Two different side of 'Chemobrain': Determinants and nondeterminants of self-perceived cognitive dysfunction in a prospective, randomized,multicenter study. Psycho-Oncology. 2010. 19:1321–1328.
11. Janelsins M.C., Kohli S., Mohile S.G., Usuki K., Ahles T.A., Morrow G.R. An update on cancer- and chemotherapy-related cognitive dysfunction: Current status. Seminars in Oncology. 2011. 38:431–438.
Article
12. Jansen C.E., Cooper B.A., Dodd M.J., Miaskowski C.A. A prospective longitudinal study of chemotherapy-induced cognitive changes in breast cancer patients. Support Care Cancer. 2011. 19:1647–1656.
Article
13. Jansen C.E., Dodd M., Miaskowski C., Dowling G.A., Kramer J. Preliminary results of a longitudinal study of changes in cognitive function in breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy with doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide. Psycho-Oncology. 2008. 17:1189–1195.
Article
14. Kim S.H. Effects of individualized exercise program on cancer-related fatigue, physical and cognitive function, and emotional status in patients with gastric cancer during chemotherapy. 2005. Seoul: Yonsei University;Unpublished doctoral dissertation.
15. Mitchell T., Turton P. 'Chemobrain': Concentration and memory effects in people receiving chemotherapy-a descriptive phenomenological study. European Journal of Cancer Care. 2011. 20:539–548.
16. Mulrooney T. The lived experience of cognitive impairment in women treated with chemotherapy for breast cancer. 2007. Salt Lake, USA: Utah University;Unpublished doctoral dissertation.
17. Munir F., Burrows J., Yarker J., Kalawsky K., Bains M. Women's perceptions of chemotherapy-induced cognitive side effects on work ability: A focus group study. Journal of Clinical Nursing. 2010. 19:1362–1370.
18. Paraska K., Bender C.M. Cognitive dysfunction following adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer: Two case studies. Oncology Nursing Forum. 2003. 30:473–478.
Article
19. Raffa R.B., Duong P.V., Finney J., Garber D.A., Lam L.M., Mathew S.S., et al. Is 'chemo-fog'/'chemo-brain' caused by cancer chemotherapy? Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics. 2006. 31:129–138.
Article
20. Reid-Arndt S.A., Yee A., Perry M.C., Hsieh C. Cognitive and psychological factors associated with early posttreatment functional outcomes in breast cancer survivors. Journal of Psychosocial Oncology. 2009. 27:415–434.
Article
21. Rottok J., Ross B. Cognitive rehabilitation. 1994. Washington DC: American Psychiatric Press.
22. Schagen S.B., Das E., van Dam F.S. The influence of priming and pre-existing knowledge of chemotherapy-associated cognitive complaints on the reporting of such complaints in breast cancer patients. Psycho-Oncology. 2009. 18:674–678.
Article
23. Shockney L.D. Breast cancer survivorship care: A resource for nurses. 2009. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett.
24. Stewart A., Collins B., Mackenzie J., Tomiak E., Verma S., Bielajew C. The cognitive effects of adjuvant chemotherapy in early stage breast cancer: A prospective study. Psycho-Oncology. 2008. 17:122–130.
Article
25. Strauss A., Corbin J. Basic of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory. 1998. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
26. van Dam F.S., Schagen S.B., Muller M.J., Boogerd W., vd Wall E., Droogleever Fortuyn M.E., et al. Impairment of cognitive function in women receiving adjuvant treatment for high-risk breast cancer: High-dose versus standard-dose chemotherapy. Journal of the National Cancer Institute. 1998. 90:210–218.
Article
27. Vearncombe K.J., Rolfe M., Wright M., Pachana N.A., Andrew B., Beadle G. Predictors of cognitive decline after chemotherapy in breast cancer patients. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society. 2009. 15:951–962.
Article
28. Wefel J.S., Saleeba A.K., Buzdar A.U., Meyers C.A. Acute and late onset cognitive dysfunction associated with chemotherapy in women with breast cancer. Cancer. 2010. 116:3348–3356.
Article
Full Text Links
  • KJWHN
Actions
Cited
CITED
export Copy
Close
Share
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
Similar articles
Copyright © 2024 by Korean Association of Medical Journal Editors. All rights reserved.     E-mail: koreamed@kamje.or.kr