title: Baseline cognitive functions among elderly patients with localised breast cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Cognitive deficits (CD) are reported among cancer patients receiving chemotherapy, but may also be observed before treatment. Though elderly patients are expected to be more prone to present age-related CD, poor information is available regarding the impact of cancer and chemotherapy on this population. This study assessed baseline cognitive functions (before adjuvant treatment) in elderly early stage breast cancer (EBC) patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Women >65years-old with newly diagnosed EBC were included in this prospective study. Episodic memory, working memory, executive functions and information processing speed were assessed by neuropsychological tests. Questionnaires were used to assess subjective CD, anxiety, depression, fatigue, quality of life and geriatric profile. Objective CD were defined using International Cognition and Cancer Task Force criteria. A group of elderly women without cancer coupled with published data related to healthy women were used for comparison (respectively to subjective and objective CD).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the 123 elderly EBC patients (70±4years) included, 41% presented objective CD, which is greater than expected in healthy population norms (binomial test P<.0001). Verbal episodic memory was mainly impaired (21% of patients). No correlation was observed between objective CD and cancer stage or geriatric assessment. Subjective CD only correlated with verbal episodic memory (P=.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is the first large series assessing baseline cognitive functions in elderly EBC patients. More than 40% presented objective CD before any adjuvant therapy, which is higher than what is reported among younger patients. Our results reinforce the hypothesis that age is a risk factor for CD in EBC patients.
authors: INSERM, U1077, Caen, France; Normandie Université, UMR-S1077, Caen, France; Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, UMR-S1077, Caen, France; CHU de Caen, U1077, Caen, France; INSERM, U1086, Caen, France; Unité de Recherche Clinique, Centre François Baclesse, Caen, France. Electronic address: m.lange@baclesse.fr.
authors: Marie
authors: M
authors: Lange
authors: INSERM, U1077, Caen, France; Normandie Université, UMR-S1077, Caen, France; Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, UMR-S1077, Caen, France; CHU de Caen, U1077, Caen, France. Electronic address: benedicte.giffard@unicaen.fr.
authors: Bénédicte
authors: B
authors: Giffard
authors: Unité de Recherche Clinique, Centre François Baclesse, Caen, France; Comité Sein, Centre François Baclesse, Caen, France. Electronic address: s.noal@baclesse.fr.
authors: Sabine
authors: S
authors: Noal
authors: Service des soins de support, Centre Henri-Becquerel, Rouen, France; Département d'Oncologie médicale, Centre Henri-Becquerel, Rouen, France. Electronic address: olivier.rigal@chb.unicancer.fr.
authors: Olivier
authors: O
authors: Rigal
authors: Département d'hématologie et d'oncologie, Hôpitaux universitaires de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France. Electronic address: J-Emmanuel.KURTZ@chru-strasbourg.fr.
authors: Jean-Emmanuel
authors: JE
authors: Kurtz
authors: INSERM, U1086, Caen, France; Unité de Recherche Clinique, Centre François Baclesse, Caen, France; UFR des sciences pharmaceutiques, Université de Caen Basse-Normandie, Caen, France. Electronic address: n.heutte@baclesse.fr.
authors: Natacha
authors: N
authors: Heutte
authors: Comité Sein, Centre François Baclesse, Caen, France. Electronic address: c.levy@baclesse.fr.
authors: Christelle
authors: C
authors: Lévy
authors: Comité Sein, Centre François Baclesse, Caen, France. Electronic address: d.allouache@baclesse.fr.
authors: Djelila
authors: D
authors: Allouache
authors: Unité de Recherche Clinique, Centre François Baclesse, Caen, France. Electronic address: c.rieux@baclesse.fr.
authors: Chantal
authors: C
authors: Rieux
authors: Service des soins de support, Centre Henri-Becquerel, Rouen, France. Electronic address: johan.lefel@chb.unicancer.fr.
authors: Johan
authors: J
authors: Le Fel
authors: Unité de Recherche Clinique, Centre François Baclesse, Caen, France. Electronic address: aurelie.daireaux@neuf.fr.
authors: Aurélie
authors: A
authors: Daireaux
authors: Unité de Recherche Clinique, Centre François Baclesse, Caen, France. Electronic address: b.clarisse@baclesse.fr.
authors: Bénédicte
authors: B
authors: Clarisse
authors: Département d'Oncologie médicale, Centre Henri-Becquerel, Rouen, France. Electronic address: corinne.veyret@chb.unicancer.fr.
authors: Corinne
authors: C
authors: Veyret
authors: Département d'hématologie et d'oncologie, Hôpitaux universitaires de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France. Electronic address: philippe.barthelemy@chru-strasbourg.fr.
authors: Philippe
authors: P
authors: Barthélémy
authors: Département d'hématologie et d'oncologie, Hôpitaux universitaires de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France. Electronic address: nadine.longato@chru-strasbourg.fr.
authors: Nadine
authors: N
authors: Longato
authors: INSERM, U1077, Caen, France; Normandie Université, UMR-S1077, Caen, France; Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, UMR-S1077, Caen, France; CHU de Caen, U1077, Caen, France. Electronic address: neuropsycho@chu-caen.fr.
authors: Francis
authors: F
authors: Eustache
authors: Normandie Université, UMR-S1077, Caen, France; INSERM, U1086, Caen, France; Unité de Recherche Clinique, Centre François Baclesse, Caen, France; CHU de Caen, Service d'Oncologie, Caen, France. Electronic address: f.joly@baclesse.fr.
authors: Florence
authors: F
authors: Joly
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Ageing; Breast neoplasms; Cognition disorders; Neuropsychology; Quality of life