New Delhi: Scientists are still trying to figure out why many breast cancer survivors continue to have severe cognitive problems, even years after treatment. One possible cause is inflammation. A new long-term study of older breast cancer survivors led by UCLA researchers and published today in the Journal of Clinical Oncology adds important evidence to that possible link.
Higher levels of an inflammatory marker known as C-reactive protein (CRP) were related to older breast cancer survivors reporting cognitive problems in the new study.
Study lead author Judith Carroll said, “Blood tests for CRP are routinely used in the clinic to determine heart disease risk. Our study shows that this common test for inflammation is a common test for breast cancer.” may also be an indicator of the risk of cognitive problems reported by survivors.” An associate professor of psychiatry and bio-behavioral sciences at UCLA and the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center and a faculty member of the Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology.
The study, called the Thinking and Living with Cancer (TLC) Study, is one of the first long-term efforts to examine a possible link between chronic inflammation and cognition in breast cancer survivors age 60 and older, who make up nearly the majority. Huh. 4 million breast cancer survivors in the United States.
Previous research has focused largely on younger women and women soon after therapy, making it difficult to draw conclusions about the role of CRP in long-term cognitive problems in older breast cancer survivors. At TLC, teams of researchers from across the country took blood samples and talked to hundreds of breast cancer survivors and up to 6 times more women without cancer over the course of 5 years.
The study was inspired by hearing from survivors and advocates that cognitive problems are one of their major concerns. “Cognitive issues affect women’s daily lives years after completing treatment, and reports of their own ability to complete tasks and remember things were the strongest indicators of problems in this study,” said co-senior study author Doctor. Jean Mandelblatt, a professor of oncology at Georgetown University who heads the TLC study.
“By being able to test for levels of inflammation at the same time that cognition was being rigorously assessed, the TLC team found a potential window into the cognitive concerns underlying biologics,” says Elizabeth C. Breen, professor emerita of psychiatry and bio-behavioral sciences. Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology at UCLA, who also served as co-senior study author.
Cognition, from each woman’s perspective, was assessed through commonly used questionnaires to assess how women perceived their ability to remember things such as name and direction, ability to concentrate, and other aspects of everyday life. Looking at
The study found that higher CRP levels in survivors were predictive of lower reported cognitive function among breast cancer survivors. There was no similar association between CRP levels and reported cognition in women without cancer. Cognitive performance, as measured by standardized neuropsychological tests, failed to show a link between CRP and cognition. The authors say this may indicate that women are more sensitive to differences in their daily cognitive function, self-reporting changes that lead to recall of other tests.
The authors said their study supports the need for research into whether interventions that can reduce inflammation — including increased physical activity, better sleep and anti-inflammatory drugs — improve cognitive function in older breast cancer survivors. Can stop or reduce anxiety.