'Training program may help breast cancer survivors cope with persistent chemo-brain'

LONDON: A type of computerised attention and memory training can improve impaired attention and memory deficits in breast cancer patients, according to University of Reading experts. Chemo-brain refers to cognitive issues such as forgetfulness, trouble concentrating, and lapses in daily attention that are common side effects of breast cancer therapies such as chemotherapy.

The findings, published in the journal Psycho-Oncology, suggested that an adaptive "dual memory tracking" training program may help breast cancer survivors cope with persistent chemo-brain.

Professor Nazanin Derakshan, who supervised the research and leads the University's Centre for Building Resilience in Breast Cancer, said: "Breast cancer survivors tell us about struggling to concentrate. The training seems to improve the brain's ability to focus on what's relevant and ignore distractions. Our results show that just 12 hours of memory training over two weeks can produce meaningful gains in cognition."

The training involves users to track the location of squares on a screen as well as the sequence of spoken letters at the same time. The challenge becomes more difficult as performance improves. Women who underwent the adaptive memory training had superior working memory and attention following training than a control group who did a simpler, non-adaptive version, according to brain activity and performance metrics.

One year later, the memory training group also reported better cognitive abilities and lower depression than the control group. The researchers now plan larger trials with more participants to further verify the benefits of the memory training program and determine which groups of breast cancer survivors respond best.

They will investigate how factors like age and types of treatment impact the effectiveness of the training. Imaging studies will also explore changes in brain structure and activity before and after training.

Dr Bethany Chapman, who led the study: "The psychological costs of chemo-brain together with an increased risk of clinical anxiety and depression, are amongst the highest documented in research. If we can empower women by increasing cognitive efficiency, we can protect them against anxiety and depression in the long term. We're optimistic this research will lead to new tools to improve the quality of life for breast cancer survivors in the UK and worldwide."