Abstract
BACKGROUND: Breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment are at particular risk of experiencing acute cognitive impairment leading to daily challenges in decision-making and reduced quality of life and functional autonomy. The aim was to assess the relationship between clinical and genetic factors and cognitive function in a sample of patients with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out between November 2017 and June 2019 on women (N = 112) treated for breast cancer by intravenous chemotherapy at the oncology outpatient unit of Hôtel-Dieu de France Hospital, Beirut. Patients were evaluated with the 37-item Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Cognitive Function (FACT-Cog). Other validated scales were also used to assess depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, pain, and fatigue. DNA was obtained by a buccal swab (FTA®technology) for genotyping of different genes (ABCB1, COMT, DRD2, OPRM1, CLOCK, CRY2, and PER2) using the Lightcycler®(Roche). RESULTS: The mean age of participants was 56.04 years. Multivariable analysis, taking the four FACT-Cog subscores as the dependent variables, showed that the mean cognitive score decreased with higher depression, anxiety, and insomnia scores. Patients with university education levels had better perceived cognitive abilities than those with primary education. Moreover, carrying the G allele for the OPRM1 polymorphism (c.118A > G;rs197791) was significantly associated with a better cognitive function compared to AA patients (B = 2.05; p = 0.038). CONCLUSIONS: A comprehensive oncological care plan should include a personalized assessment of all factors related to cognitive functioning in cancer patients, particularly anxiety and depression, to achieve an optimal patient outcome.