title: Subjective cognitive complaints one year after ceasing adjuvant endocrine treatment for early-stage breast cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In the BIG 1-98 trial objective cognitive function improved in postmenopausal women 1 year after cessation of adjuvant endocrine therapy for breast cancer. This report evaluates changes in subjective cognitive function (SCF).
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred postmenopausal women, randomised to receive 5 years of adjuvant tamoxifen, letrozole, or a sequence of the two, completed self-reported measures on SCF, psychological distress, fatigue, and quality of life during the fifth year of trial treatment (year 5) and 1 year after treatment completion (year 6). Changes between years 5 and 6 were evaluated using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Subjective cognitive function and its correlates were explored.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Subjective cognitive function and the other patient-reported outcomes did not change significantly after cessation of endocrine therapy with the exception of improvement for hot flushes (P=0.0005). No difference in changes was found between women taking tamoxifen or letrozole. Subjective cognitive function was the only psychosocial outcome with a substantial correlation between year 5 and 6 (Spearman's R=0.80). Correlations between SCF and the other patient-reported outcomes were generally low.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Improved objective cognitive function but not SCF occur following cessation of adjuvant endocrine therapy in the BIG 1-98 trial. The substantial correlation of SCF scores over time may represent a stable attribute.
authors.affiliation: IBCSG Coordinating Center, Effingerstr. 40, Bern 3008, Switzerland.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ribi
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Aldridge
authors.forename: K-A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Phillips
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Harvey
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Thürlimann
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cardoso
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Pagani
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Coates
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Goldhirsch
authors.forename: K N
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Price
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Gelber
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bernhard
mesh_terms: D047072:Aromatase Inhibitors / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects*; D004965:Estrogen Antagonists / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D000077289:Letrozole; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009570:Nitriles / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011788:Quality of Life; D013629:Tamoxifen / Q000009:adverse effects*; D014230:Triazoles / Q000009:adverse effects*
chemical_list: D047072:Aromatase Inhibitors; D004965:Estrogen Antagonists; D009570:Nitriles; D014230:Triazoles; D013629:Tamoxifen; D000077289:Letrozole