Page 150 - EJMO-9-3

Eurasian Journal of
Medicine and Oncology CRCI factors in breast cancer

Figure 1. Pathway analysis of social support, depression, and cognitive function. The variables e1 and e2 represent the structure residuals for the depression.
Note: **p<0.01.

to individuals with other forms of medical insurance. may be influenced by the structural characteristics of
Concerns about family finances, complications, and the enrolled population and the sample size of the study.
psychological distress stemming from a family history of Consequently, healthcare professionals can implement
breast cancer can elevate psychological stress and negative tailored cognitive intervention strategies based on the
emotions, thereby exacerbating cognitive impairment. specific characteristics of different patient groups, thereby
Patients with stage III – IV breast cancer exhibit a higher enhancing the precision and effectiveness of preventing
susceptibility to cognitive impairment compared to those and treating cognitive dysfunction in patients undergoing
with early-stage disease. This increased vulnerability can chemotherapy for breast cancer.
be attributed, in part, to the pathophysiological changes Neuroimaging research has demonstrated a correlation
induced by the disease itself. In addition, it is associated between cognitive function and alterations in neural
with the negative emotions experienced by patients in structures among patients undergoing chemotherapy, with
the middle and late stages, who are concerned about cognitive changes exerting significant effects on neural
the prognosis of their condition. Existing literature architecture. In a retrospective study conducted by Kesler
has demonstrated a negative correlation between BMI et al., it was found that patients treated with anthracyclines
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and cognitive function. Individuals with a high BMI, exhibited diminished functionality in the left precuneus
as opposed to those with a low BMI, exhibit poorer region of the brain, which was associated with poorer
performance in language learning and visual modality executive and language performance. In addition, an
episodic memory tasks. 23,24 Furthermore, BMI impacts observational study by Piccirillo et al. investigated the
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brain volume, with increased BMI being associated with relationship between self-reported cognitive impairment
gray matter atrophy in the temporal, frontal, and occipital and structural brain changes. This study revealed
cortices, as well as in the hippocampus, thalamus, and significant differences in the connectivity strength within
midbrain, alongside a reduction in white matter integrity the frontoparietal network between patients with and
throughout the brain. These brain regions are intricately without cognitive impairment. While the aforementioned
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linked to cognitive function, indicating that elevated BMI studies demonstrated a negative correlation between
may be a contributing factor to cognitive impairment. alterations in brain functional connectivity and perceptual
In addition, diabetes emerges as another potential cognitive impairment, they predominantly relied on small
comorbidity influencing cognitive function. Several studies sample sizes and retrospective, cross-sectional designs. To
have indicated that type 2 diabetes mellitus can exacerbate address these limitations, we propose conducting larger,
age-related cognitive decline. 26,27 Type 2 diabetes mellitus prospective studies to investigate the causal mechanisms
is correlated with deficits in various cognitive domains, linking changes in cognitive function and brain structure,
including processing speed, attention, spatial working as well as the underlying neurobiological trajectories in
memory, verbal fluency, and executive function. In patients before and after treatment.
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light of these findings, we examined the BMI levels and Anxiety and depression are prevalent among breast
diabetes status of the study population to minimize the cancer patients following chemotherapy. The apprehension
confounding effects on our research outcomes. Univariate regarding potential adverse reactions to chemotherapy,
analysis indicated that neither diabetes nor varying BMI alterations in body image, and role discrepancies
levels had a significant impact on the cognitive function contribute to an increased psychological burden,
of breast cancer patients post-chemotherapy. This result manifesting as anxiety, depression, and other negative

Volume 9 Issue 3 (2025) 142 doi: 10.36922/EJMO025130073