Study of executive function in women with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy

Background: Chemotherapy as one of the main methods of cancer treatment has many side effects that one of them is the impact of this treatment on the brain. Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the executive functions in women diagnosed with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy and healthy counterparts. Methods: In this case-control study, women with breast cancer (n=40) undergoing chemotherapy along with healthy women (n=40) with no history of chronic diseases using available sampling method and were selected from Tehran Shohada Tajrish Hospital (2015-2016). Data was collected using demographic characteristics questionnaire, anxiety and depression test, continuous performance test, and Wisconsin card category collected and was analyzed by the independent t test. Findings: In the continuous performance test, omission and commission errors, with weaknesses in speed tests in patients with breast cancer were higher than those in the control group and this difference was statistically significant. There was a significant difference between the two groups in which reflects the low number of correct answers and cluster with higher preservation in breast cancer patients compared to healthy counterparts. Conclusion: According to the results, deficits in executive functions caused by chemotherapy in cancer patients that require therapeutic measures in this field.