title: Self-reported cognitive functioning in postmenopausal breast cancer patients before and during endocrine treatment: findings from the neuropsychological TEAM side-study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to evaluate self-reported cognitive functioning of postmenopausal breast cancer patients before and during endocrine treatment compared with healthy female controls, and to investigate associations between self-reported cognitive functioning, cognitive test performance and anxiety/depression, fatigue, and menopausal complaints.
  
  
  METHODS
  Self-reported cognitive functioning, anxiety/depression, fatigue, menopausal complaints, and cognitive tests performance were assessed before (T1) and after 1 year (T2) of adjuvant endocrine treatment in postmenopausal chemotherapy-naïve breast cancer patients. Self-reported cognitive functioning was assessed by the cognitive failures questionnaire and interview questions concerning cognitive complaints. Patients participated in the TEAM-trial, a prospective randomized study investigating tamoxifen versus exemestane as adjuvant therapy for hormone-sensitive breast cancer. Identical information was obtained from healthy postmenopausal volunteers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Two measures for self-reported cognitive functioning provided the distinctive results. At T1 and T2, healthy controls reported a higher frequency of cognitive failures than patients; change over time did not differ between groups. The prevalence of cognitive complaints did not differ between the groups at T1, but change over time regarding attention/concentration complaints differed between groups, due to an increased prevalence in tamoxifen users. Self-reported cognitive functioning showed moderate associations with anxiety/depression, fatigue, and menopausal complaints. Cognitive test performance was not associated with self-reported cognitive functioning, but weakly with anxiety/depression and fatigue.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Adjuvant therapy with tamoxifen and exemestane did not influence the self-reported frequency of cognitive failures. Increased attention/concentration complaints were observed in tamoxifen users, but not in exemestane users. This latter finding should be confirmed with better validated instruments.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychosocial Research and Epidemiology, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: C M T
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Schilder
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Seynaeve
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Linn
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Boogerd
authors.forename: L V A M
authors.initials: LV
authors.lastname: Beex
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Gundy
authors.forename: J W R
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Nortier
authors.forename: C J H
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: van de Velde
authors.forename: F S A M
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: van Dam
authors.forename: S B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Schagen
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000730:Androstadienes / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001007:Anxiety; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant / Q000523:psychology; D003071:Cognition; D003072:Cognition Disorders; D003863:Depression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D017698:Postmenopause / Q000523:psychology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D057566:Self Report; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013629:Tamoxifen / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000730:Androstadienes; D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal; D013629:Tamoxifen; C056516:exemestane