Funções executivas: avaliação neuropsicológica em mulheres com câncer de mama

Abstract

Currently, cancer represents a major scientific challenge. Chemotherapy has been the most perceptive treatment alternative to fighting cancer. During this course, cognitive alterations may be involved and, therefore, it is necessary to identify them, since they represent neurological complications with a high rate of improvement when treated. The objective of this research was to identify possible changes in executive functions in women with breast cancer submitted to chemotherapy, seeking to evaluate aspects such as operational memory, attention, inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility, impulsivity and decision making. Levels of anxiety and depression were also assessed. The study has a transversal character using three contrasting groups. A total of 171 women participated in the study, of which 55 (32.2%) from the Group of Women with Breast Cancer submitted to Chemotherapy (QC), 52 women from the Group of Women with Breast Cancer not submitted to Chemotherapy (SQ) and 64 (37, 4) healthy women from the Control Group (CG). As an instrument, an anamnesis was used to collect sociodemographic data, the WAIS-III Digit Span neuropsychological tests (focused attention and operational memory), Victoria Stroot test (inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility), IGT (decision making), the BIS-11 (impulsivity) and HADS (anxiety and depression) scales. There were significant differences between means of the group performance results in the Digit Span direct sequence tasks (F (2.168) = 44.930, p = 0.000), indirect sequence of the same (F (2.168) = 41.818, p = 0.000), from the Victory Stroop Test (F (2.168) = 4.168 / p = 0.017) and BIS-11 (F (2.168) = 5.675, p = 0.004). In these cases, the performance of women undergoing chemotherapy in aspects of focused attention, operational memory, inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility was verified, which strengthens the hypothesis of this research. With the results, we hope to improve the identification of users Who could benefit from psychosocial oncology services, and then contribute to the construction of strategies for psychological and multiprofessional intervention. In addition, encourage discussion about the assistance to women with breast cancer aiming for an integrated chemotherapy, increasing to this treatment ample therapeutic possibilities. That is, a care monitoring that considers, in addition to systemic side effects and disease survival, the quality of life in the daily activities of this user as well as in their social and family relationships.