OnCo
ideasIdea

Trials of structured cognitive rehabilitation for cancer-related cognitive impairment

Many people report foggy thinking and memory problems for years after chemotherapy, and almost nothing is offered for it. Structured brain-training and coaching programmes deserve proper trials.

Cancer-related cognitive impairment affects a substantial minority of survivors and limits work and daily function. Small trials of computerised cognitive training, cognitive-behavioural strategy training, and exercise show benefit on self-reported and some objective measures, but there is no standard of care and no funded service. A definitive multi-arm trial comparing the leading approaches, with a functional primary endpoint, would establish or refute a treatable condition.

Hypothesis
At least one structured cognitive rehabilitation approach will produce a clinically meaningful improvement in perceived cognitive function and work ability at six months compared with attention control.
Rationale
Rehabilitation improves outcomes after stroke and brain injury with similar mechanisms of compensation and neuroplasticity; survivors are motivated and the intervention is low risk.
What would test it
A four-arm randomised trial (computerised training, strategy training, exercise, attention control) in 800 survivors with a validated perceived-cognition instrument as primary endpoint.
Maturity
early clinical
Who has to act
research
Cost to try
Medium ($1M to $50M)
Years to first evidence
4
Bottlenecks it attacks

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