CHEmotherapy and Cognitive Deterioration in Patients With Operable Breast Cancer: Impact of Cognitive Rehabilitation (CHEMOFOG)

CHEMioterapia e Deterioramento cOgnitivo Nelle Pazienti aFfette da Carcinoma Mammario

An interventional, non-pharmacological, monocentric study evaluating the effectiveness of cognitive rehabilitation in counteracting chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment (CRCI) in women with operable breast cancer treated with neo-adjuvant therapy and/ or adjuvant therapy.

This interventional, non-pharmacological, monocentric study examines the effectiveness of cognitive rehabilitation in counteracting CRCI in women with operable breast cancer treated with neo-adjuvant therapy and/ or adjuvant therapy.

A total of 128 patients will be randomized 1:1 into two groups:

• Experimental group, which will participate in a cognitive rehabilitation program using Neurotablet® and paper and pencil exercises. To evaluate the efficacy of the cognitive rehabilitation program, neurocognitive evaluations will be performed.
• Control group, which will only carry out neuropsychological assessments.

Neuropsychological evaluations will be conducted before the start of chemotherapy (T0), 6 months (T1) and 12 months (T2) after the start of chemotherapy. Neuropsychological evaluations will include tests to analyze the main cognitive domains of memory, attention, executive functions and learning.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Signature of informed consent
• Diagnosis of operable/operated breast cancer
• Patients candidate to be treated with Neo/adjuvant chemotherapy

Exclusion Criteria:

• Previous chemotherapy treatments
• Patients with Metastatic breast cancer
• Patients affected by pathologies of the brain, head trauma, and intellectual disabilities
• Patients affected by previous or current neurological and/or psychiatric disorders
• Patients currently treated with psychopharmacological drug