Page 147 - EJMO-9-3

Eurasian Journal of
Medicine and Oncology CRCI factors in breast cancer

Table 4. Analysis of social support scores in patients with function through depression levels. The mediating effects
breast cancer chemotherapy for these identified variables were quantified as 0.031 (95%
confidence interval [CI]: 0.005 – 0.065), 0.034 (95%
Items Breast cancer Domestic t p
patients norm CI: 0.002 – 0.080), and 0.032 (95% CI: 0.007 – 0.065),
Objective support 12.23±16.77 12.68±3.47 −3.498 0.001** respectively.
Subjective support 18.82±3.86 23.81±4.75 −9.076 0.001** 3.8. Effect of the intervention
Support utilization 6.61±1.05 9.38±2.40 −11.201 0.001** We administered cognitive behavioral therapy to a cohort
Social support 38.34±16.31 44.38±8.38 −7.304 0.001** of 75 individuals experiencing cognitive dysfunction. The
score findings indicated that, following a 3-month intervention
Notes: *p<0.05, **p<0.01. period, there was a statistically significant improvement in
the cognitive function scores of all participants to varying
3.5. The relationship between anxiety and extents. However, these scores did not return to pre-
depression severity, social support levels, and chemotherapy levels. A detailed comparison of cognitive
FACT-Cog scores function scores pre- and post-intervention is presented
below (Table 8).
As illustrated in Table 6, there is a significant relationship
between the total FACT-Cog score and perceived cognitive 4. Discussion
impairment, perceived cognitive abilities, and quality of The findings of this study indicate that the FACT-Cog
life among breast cancer patients post-chemotherapy. This score averaged 104.76 ± 22.18 points, with a clinically
score is inversely correlated with anxiety and depression significant psychological distress detection rate of 19.74%.
scores (p<0.01). Furthermore, social support exerts a This rate aligns with findings from relevant international
significant influence on the cognitive function of breast studies. The cognitive function of perception exhibited
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cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Specifically, the lowest dimension score (18.71 ± 7.01), potentially
the total cognitive function score and its four dimensions attributable to the diminished functional connectivity
exhibit a positive correlation with the total scores of between the hippocampus and the broader brain network
objective support, subjective support, and overall social post-chemotherapy. Conversely, the highest dimension
support (p<0.05), as detailed in Table 6. score, as evaluated by others, was 12.95 ± 2.10 points,
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3.6. Regression analysis of factors influencing corroborating the results of Boscher et al. This dimension
cognitive function in breast cancer patients often manifests as mild and is therefore difficult for patients
or their primary caregivers to detect. These findings
The regression analysis, utilizing the bootstrap method with underscore the necessity for healthcare professionals to
1,000 iterations, revealed that education level, payment recognize and prioritize the cognitive function of patients
method for medical expenses, disease stage, depression, undergoing chemotherapy, and to develop scientifically
and level of social support are independent risk factors for informed and appropriate care programs.
cognitive impairment in breast cancer patients (Table 7). In recent years, an increasing number of studies have
In this analysis, the total FACT-Cog score was used as the focused on CRCI in breast cancer patients. Numerous
dependent variable, while the variables showing significant factors contribute to cognitive dysfunction following
differences in the univariate analysis were included as chemotherapy. This study identified that patients with
independent variables. The findings indicate that these lower educational levels, those enrolled in the New Rural
factors independently influence cognitive function in Cooperative Medical Scheme (NRCMS), those at advanced
breast cancer patients following chemotherapy (p<0.05). stages of breast cancer, those with a family history of the
3.7. Path analysis disease, and those with additional medical complications
are more susceptible to cognitive dysfunction. Educational
Figure 1 depicts the sequential mediating roles of social attainment may serve as an indicator of general intelligence,
support, depression, and cognitive function. It was found with higher intelligence levels being associated with a
that objective support, subjective support, and support greater density of synapses in the cerebral cortex. This
utilization negatively predicted depression, which in synaptic richness enhances stimulation in cerebral
turn negatively predicted cognitive function. Through neurons, potentially increasing patients’ resilience to
the analysis of mediating effects, it was determined cognitive impairment. The increased susceptibility to
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that objective support, subjective support, and support cognitive dysfunction among NRCMS patients may be
utilization exerted an indirect influence on cognitive attributed to the financial burden that they face compared

Volume 9 Issue 3 (2025) 139 doi: 10.36922/EJMO025130073