Concentration, memory problems reported in breast cancer patients at different stages of survivorship
TUESDAY, March 3, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Use of acid reflux drugs (proton pump inhibitors [PPIs]) during and after cancer treatment may be tied to impaired memory and concentration in breast cancer survivors, according to a study recently published in the Journal of Cancer Survivorship.
Annelise A. Madison, from The Ohio State University in Columbus, and colleagues compared cognitive problems in breast cancer survivors (PPI users versus nonusers). The analysis included women participating in three clinical trials (study 1: 36 PPI users, 173 nonusers; study 2: 31 PPI users, 169 nonusers; study 3: 21 PPI users, 121 nonusers).
The researchers found that in study 1, compared with nonusers, PPI users reported more severe concentration problems but not memory problems. In study 2, compared with nonusers, PPI users reported more severe concentration problems but not memory problems or symptoms in the Breast Cancer Prevention Trial. In study 3, compared with nonusers, PPI users reported more severe memory problems, poorer overall cognitive function, lower quality of life related to cognitive problems, greater perceived cognitive impairment, and poorer cognitive abilities but not more severe concentration problems.
“The fact that this study found similar effects across three different sets of patients who are at different stages of cancer survivorship gives some weight to what we’re seeing,” a coauthor said in a statement.
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