A pilot study of prospective memory functioning in early breast cancer survivors

Abstract Aims To evaluate prospective memory (PM) functioning in early breast cancer (BC) survivors and its association with fatigue and depression. Methods The Memory for Intention Screening Test, the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Fatigue subscale were administered to 80 patients and 80 aged-matched healthy controls. Results Patients performed more poorly than controls on the memory test ( p p Conclusions BC survivors exhibited a clear pattern of PM deficit and fatigue was a major contributor to this deficit. This suggests that a common mechanism may be involved in fatigue symptoms and memory disturbances experienced by patients. Further research is needed to evaluate the role of adjuvant therapy in PM deficits and to explore whether interventions targeted at improving fatigue may also improve memory functioning in BC survivors.