Distinct attentional function profiles in older adults receiving cancer chemotherapy.
Inger Utne, Borghild Løyland, Ellen Karine Grov and 12 others
PMID 30322507WHAT IT FOUND
Seventy-four percent of older adults receiving chemotherapy reported low or moderate attentional function.
Those in the low group had worse comorbidity, depression, lower income, less employment, and poorer quality of life.
Key findings
01Three attentional function groups were identified: 26.0% high, 37.3% moderate, and 36.7% low, and 74% of the sample reported reduced attentional function. High and low scores stayed stable over two chemotherapy cycles, while moderate scores were slightly lower one week after treatment.
02Patients in the low group had lower performance status, more comorbidity, more depression, less likely to be married or partnered, less likely to be employed, more back pain, lower household income, and a higher chemotherapy toxicity score than the high group.
03Quality of life was generally worse in the low group than the moderate and high groups, all groups scored below the normative physical health score of 50, and only the low group scored below 50 on mental health.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Patients were not assessed before their first chemotherapy cycle, so the study cannot show whether attentional function problems were already present before treatment or developed after treatment started. Attentional function was measured only by self-report, not by objective cognitive testing, so the findings reflect what patients perceived about their attention and working memory. The study did not compare these patients with healthy people or people not receiving chemotherapy, so it cannot prove that chemotherapy caused the attentional function profiles. The sample included only older adults aged 65 years or older who could read, write, and understand English, so the findings may not apply to younger patients or people who cannot complete English questionnaires. Several characteristics associated with the low profile, such as comorbidity, depression, pain, income, employment, and treatment toxicity, may overlap, so the study cannot separate their individual contributions.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these profiles as proof that chemotherapy caused attentional function problems. The study had no pre-chemotherapy assessment and used self-reported attentional function, so it describes patterns in older oncology patients rather than a tested treatment effect.