Cognitive effects of standard-dose chemotherapy in patients with cancer

Adult cancer survivors hate reported experiencing persistent changes in cog nitive function following treatment with chemotherapy. Increasing evidence supports the hypothesis that standard-dose chemotherapy can produce cogniti ve deficits in a subgroup of adult cancer survivors. Although these cogniti ve changes tend to be subtle deficits in memory, concentration, and the abi lity to remain focused or organized, these alterations in cognitive ability can have a significant impact on patients' quality of life generally, and on meeting career and educational goals specifically. This manuscript revie ws the literature relevant to the cognitive impact of standard-dose chemoth erapy in adults, outlines methodological issues related to the study of cog nitive functioning in people with cancer, and discusses future directions J ar research in this area.