Rapid Fire Oral Presentation Clinical Oncology Society of Australia Annual Scientific Meeting 2026

Investigating effects of neuropsychological feedback on self-reported cognitive impairment in cancer survivors: A pilot randomised controlled trial (142513)

Heather J Green 1 , Vibeke Koch 1 , Tamara Ownsworth 2 , Haryana Dhillon 3 , Haitham Tuffaha 4 , Shu-Kay Ng 2 , David Shum 5
  1. Griffith University, Southport, Qld, Australia
  2. Griffith University, Nathan, Qld, Australia
  3. University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  4. The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld, Australia
  5. Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong

Aims: This pilot study aimed to investigate feasibility of a randomised controlled trial to evaluate efficacy of neuropsychological assessment and feedback components of cognitive rehabilitation for perceived cognitive impairment (PCI) and quality of life (QOL) in adult cancer survivors. Methods: Adult breast cancer survivors with PCI who had completed primary treatment within the past 36 months were recruited from oncology services or from Queensland Cancer Registry. After initial telephone screening and consent, participants were randomly allocated to neuropsychological assessment alone or with feedback, stratified by ongoing hormonal therapy. Participants completed online assessments for patient-reported outcomes (including the primary outcome measures of PCI and QOL assessed using Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Cognitive Function Version 3) and for neuropsychological assessments (40-minute assessments using WebNeuro). Participants allocated to feedback received a scheduled semi-structured telephone appointment with a psychologist to discuss cognitive testing and patient-reported measures, followed by a short written report. Results: Thirty-three women were allocated to either neuropsychological assessment with feedback (n = 16) or assessment only (n = 17). Groups were comparable in demographics, psychosocial symptoms, PCI, and QOL at baseline. There was a significant main effect of time on PCI, indicating better perceived function post-intervention, with a moderate effect size (η2 = .47). Whilst neither PCI nor QOL showed a statistically significant Group x Time interaction, effect size for the PCI interaction indicated a potential interaction favouring the feedback intervention that would be considered practically significant if replicated in an adequately powered trial, and which was small in magnitude (η2 = .05). Conclusions: This study provided preliminary indications that neuropsychological assessment alone and with feedback may assist as part of interventions for PCI following cancer treatments. Future studies should aim to include a larger, more diverse sample and consider impact of related psychosocial symptoms.