Many breast most cancers survivors report cancer-related cognitive impairment following chemotherapy, though prevalence charges and severity range.
To check whether or not a dementia drug might enhance cognition in breast most cancers survivors, researchers at Wake Forest College College of Drugs performed a Section III randomized, placebo-controlled trial to check donepezil, a cognitive-enhancing drugs used within the remedy of Alzheimer’s illness.
The analysis crew discovered that donepezil didn’t enhance reminiscence or different cognitive capabilities in survivors with cancer-related cognitive impairment.
The findings seem on-line within the Journal of Scientific Oncology.
The researchers enrolled 276 breast most cancers survivors from group oncology practices affiliated with the Nationwide Most cancers Institute Group Oncology Analysis Program (NCORP), a nationwide community that brings most cancers medical trials and care supply research to communities. The Wake Forest NCORP Analysis Base at Atrium Well being Wake Forest Baptist’s Nationwide Most cancers Institute-designated Complete Most cancers Heart is certainly one of seven funded NCORP Analysis Program bases within the nation.
Examine members had acquired at the very least 4 cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy and reported cognitive impairment and reminiscence issues for one to 5 years after chemotherapy had accomplished. Contributors had been enrolled on the NCORP research between July 2017 and July 2021.
The members had been assigned to both obtain 5-10 mg of donepezil, taken as soon as a day for twenty-four weeks, or placebo.”
Stephen R. Rapp, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry and behavioral drugs at Wake Forest College College of Drugs and lead creator of the paper
Cognitive assessments had been performed earlier than remedy, at 12 weeks and at finish of remedy.
“We discovered that the members didn’t carry out in a different way on the finish of remedy on exams of reminiscence, different cognitive capabilities, or subjective functioning than these randomly assigned to placebo,” Rapp stated.
Whereas donepezil can’t be really useful as a remedy to enhance cancer-related cognitive impairment in breast most cancers survivors after finishing chemotherapy, the researchers say additional trials are wanted.
“Further analysis with totally different timing of administration, totally different drugs or medicine combos, or non-pharmacological interventions are warranted,” stated Glenn Lesser, M.D., deputy director of the Atrium Well being Wake Forest Baptist Complete Most cancers Heart, senior creator of the manuscript and principal investigator of the Wake Forest NCORP Analysis Base.
Supply:
Atrium Well being Wake Forest Baptist
Journal reference:
Rapp, S. R., et al. (2024). Section III Randomized, Placebo-Managed Scientific Trial of Donepezil for Therapy of Cognitive Impairment in Breast Most cancers Survivors After Adjuvant Chemotherapy (WF-97116). Journal of Scientific Oncology. doi.org/10.1200/jco.23.01100.
