TY - JOUR
T1 - Electrophysiological correlates of information processing in breast-cancer patients treated with adjuvant chemotherapy
AU - Kreukels, Baudewijntje P.C.
AU - Schagen, Sanne B.
AU - Ridderinkhof, K. Richard
AU - Boogerd, Willem
AU - Hamburger, Hans L.
AU - Van Dam, Frits S.A.M.
PY - 2005/11/1
Y1 - 2005/11/1
N2 - Cognitive deficits are found in a number of breast-cancer patients who have undergone adjuvant (Cyclophosphamide, Methotrexate, and 5-Fluorouracil (CMF)) chemotherapy, but the underlying mechanisms are still unclear. The objective of this study is to investigate information processing in these patients with concurrent registration of brain activity. Twenty-six breast-cancer patients treated with adjuvant CMF chemotherapy and a control group of 23 stage I breast-cancer patients not treated with chemotherapy were examined. Mean time since treatment for the CMF patients was 5.1 years after the last CMF course, and for the control patients 3.6 years after termination of radiotherapy. An information processing task was administered with concurrent EEG registration. Reaction times and the amplitudes and latencies of an Event Related Potential component (P3) in different task conditions related to input, central, and output processing of information were studied. Significant differences in latency and amplitude of the P3 component were found between the treatment groups with an earlier and reduced P3 in the chemotherapy group. Patients treated with chemotherapy had longer reaction times (although not significantly different) than the control group on all task conditions. Our data provide further evidence for long-term neurocognitive problems in breast-cancer patients treated with adjuvant (CMF) chemotherapy and offer new information regarding abnormalities in brain functioning in these patients.
AB - Cognitive deficits are found in a number of breast-cancer patients who have undergone adjuvant (Cyclophosphamide, Methotrexate, and 5-Fluorouracil (CMF)) chemotherapy, but the underlying mechanisms are still unclear. The objective of this study is to investigate information processing in these patients with concurrent registration of brain activity. Twenty-six breast-cancer patients treated with adjuvant CMF chemotherapy and a control group of 23 stage I breast-cancer patients not treated with chemotherapy were examined. Mean time since treatment for the CMF patients was 5.1 years after the last CMF course, and for the control patients 3.6 years after termination of radiotherapy. An information processing task was administered with concurrent EEG registration. Reaction times and the amplitudes and latencies of an Event Related Potential component (P3) in different task conditions related to input, central, and output processing of information were studied. Significant differences in latency and amplitude of the P3 component were found between the treatment groups with an earlier and reduced P3 in the chemotherapy group. Patients treated with chemotherapy had longer reaction times (although not significantly different) than the control group on all task conditions. Our data provide further evidence for long-term neurocognitive problems in breast-cancer patients treated with adjuvant (CMF) chemotherapy and offer new information regarding abnormalities in brain functioning in these patients.
KW - Adjuvant chemotherapy
KW - Breast carcinoma
KW - Cognitive deficits
KW - Cyclophosphamide methotrexate and 5-fluorouracil (CMF)
KW - Information processing
KW - Neurophysiology
KW - Neurotoxicity
KW - P3
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=26244458335&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s10549-005-7093-3
DO - 10.1007/s10549-005-7093-3
M3 - Article
C2 - 16175317
AN - SCOPUS:26244458335
SN - 0167-6806
VL - 94
SP - 53
EP - 61
JO - Breast Cancer Research and Treatment
JF - Breast Cancer Research and Treatment
IS - 1
ER -