title: Predictors of baseline cancer-related cognitive impairment in cancer patients scheduled for a curative treatment.
abstract: Recent research in the field of cancer-related cognitive impairments (CRCI) has shown CRCI presentation prior to treatment initiation. Some have attributed these problems to worry and fatigue, whereas others have suggested an influence of age, IQ, and other psychosocial and medical factors.
  
  
  
  Patients (≥18 years) with a histologically confirmed diagnosis of a solid cancer or hematological malignancy, scheduled for a curative treatment, were evaluated with a baseline neuropsychological assessment including Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs). PROMs entailed distress, anxiety and depression, fatigue, and cognitive complaints. The neuropsychological assessment comprised several cognitive domains such as premorbid IQ, attention, processing speed, flexibility, verbal and visual episodic memory, and verbal fluency.
  
  
  
  Cross-sectional data of 125 patients were collected. Patients had a mean age of 60.9 years (range: 30.0-85.0) and comprised primarily females (65.6%). Patients presented with cancer of following sites: breast (44.0%), digestive (28.8%), urological (11.2%), gynecologic (8.0%), hematologic malignancy (4.8%), and lung (3.2%). Patients presented with a premorbid IQ of 105.3 (range: 79.0-124.0). In 29.6% of patients, a CRCI was detected. Binary logistic regression analyses showed that a lower premorbid IQ (β = -.084, P < .01) and a higher level of fatigue (β = -.054, P < .05) predicted baseline CRCI. Premorbid IQ also predicted performance on individual cognitive domains. Some domains were also influenced by age, gender, having a breast cancer diagnosis, and an active treatment for hypertension.
  
  
  
  Premorbid IQ and fatigue are important predictors of baseline CRCI. Therefore, we advise researchers to implement a short IQ test when conducting clinical trials on CRCI.
authors.affiliation: Division of Medical Oncology, Cancer Centre, General Hospital Groeninge, Kortrijk, Belgium.
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lycke
authors.affiliation: Division of Medical Oncology, Cancer Centre, General Hospital Groeninge, Kortrijk, Belgium.
authors.forename: Lies
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pottel
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Primary Care @ Kulak, Catholic University Leuven Kulak, Kortrijk, Belgium.
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Pottel
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuropsychology, General Hospital Groeninge, Kortrijk, Belgium.
authors.forename: Lore
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ketelaars
authors.affiliation: Division of Radiotherapy, Cancer Centre, General Hospital Groeninge, Kortrijk, Belgium.
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Stellamans
authors.affiliation: Division of Medical Oncology, Cancer Centre, General Hospital Groeninge, Kortrijk, Belgium.|Division of Haematology, Cancer Centre, General Hospital Groeninge, Kortrijk, Belgium.
authors.forename: Koen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Van Eygen
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastro-Enterology, General Hospital Groeninge, Kortrijk, Belgium.
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vergauwe
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, General Hospital Groeninge, Kortrijk, Belgium.
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Werbrouck
authors.affiliation: Division of Radiotherapy, Cancer Centre, General Hospital Groeninge, Kortrijk, Belgium.
authors.forename: Laurence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Goethals
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health, Social Care and Education, Anglia Ruskin University, Chelmsford, UK.
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Schofield
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Tom
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Boterberg
authors.affiliation: Division of Medical Oncology, Cancer Centre, General Hospital Groeninge, Kortrijk, Belgium.|Faculty of Health, Social Care and Education, Anglia Ruskin University, Chelmsford, UK.
authors.forename: Philip R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Debruyne
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D003071:Cognition; D060825:Cognitive Dysfunction / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: baseline; cancer; cancer-related cognitive impairment; chemobrain; cognition; oncology