Abstract

LIMA, Camila Vasconcelos Carnaúba; ALMEIDA, Rosa Maria Martins de  and  POVOA, Raner Miguel Ferreira. Executive functions: neuropsychological assessment in women with breast cancer. Estud. psicol. (Natal) [online]. 2020, vol.25, n.1, pp. 24-32. ISSN 1413-294X.  http://dx.doi.org/10.22491/1678-4669.20200003.

Cognitive changes may occur during chemotherapy to treat cancer and, therefore, it is necessary to identify them since they represent neurological complications with a high rate of improvement when treated. This research evaluated executive functions in women with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy. Were examined 171 women divided into three groups contrasted with the use of neuropsychological tests. Performance losses were found in the Digit Span both direct (p < 0.001) and indirect sequence task (p < 0.001), Victoria Stroop Test (p = 0.017) and BIS-11 (p = 0.004). It is concluded that there were impairments in executive functions related to working memory, focused attention, inhibitory control and general impulsivity in the group of women with breast cancer who received chemotherapy. Studies have corroborated these results, but there are still gaps in the literature. Discussion on the topic is encouraged with the goal of building intervention strategies.

Keywords : executive dysfunction; chemotherapy; breast carcinoma.

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