Association Between Cardiovascular Disease and Cognitive Dysfunction in Breast Cancer Survivors.
Diane Von Ah, Adele Crouch, Elizabeth Arthur and 2 others
PMID 35353757WHAT IT FOUND
Breast cancer survivors who self-reported cardiovascular disease performed worse on immediate memory and attention/working memory tests than those without, while speed and verbal fluency did not differ.
This was a small cross-sectional analysis.
Key findings
01In 47 breast cancer survivors, 21 (44.7%) reported cardiovascular disease.
02Survivors without cardiovascular disease performed better on immediate memory, delayed memory, and attention/working memory than survivors with cardiovascular disease.
03Speed of processing and verbal fluency/executive function did not differ between survivors with and without cardiovascular disease.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The analysis was cross-sectional, so it cannot show that cardiovascular disease caused cognitive dysfunction or that treating it would improve cognition. The sample was small, with 47 breast cancer survivors analysed. Cardiovascular disease was self-reported as congestive heart failure or hypertension, not confirmed by clinical records or testing. The study used baseline data from a cognitive-training trial and did not report results from the trial intervention. Participants were survivors who already reported cognitive concerns and were seeking non-pharmacological treatment, so the findings may not apply to all breast cancer survivors. Delayed memory showed no independent significant predictor after age, education, and race were included.
Declared interests
The authors reported no conflicts of interest. The article is tagged as supported by NIH extramural and non-U.S. government research support, but no specific funder role is described in the supplied text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that cardiovascular disease causes cognitive dysfunction in breast cancer survivors or that exercise or cardiovascular treatment will improve cognition. This was a small cross-sectional baseline analysis with self-reported cardiovascular disease and no tested intervention.