Adoption of the International Cognition and Cancer Task Force recommendations for harmonizing studies of cancer-related cognitive impairment: A systematic review of published literature.

Abstract

e24043 Background: This abstract presents a review of published research literature to determine research investigators’ rate of adoption of the International Cognition and Cancer Task Force (ICCTF) recommended criteria for defining cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI). Published in 2011, the ICCTF recommendations were intended to identify psychometric standards that would facilitate harmonization of neuropsychological test data across studies for improved accuracy of estimating prevalence of CRCI in cancer populations. The ICCTF recommended standards could help decipher variability or stability of CRCI prevalence across various cancer groups, such as individuals within a diagnostic classification (e.g., lung or breast cancer) or type of cancer treatment (e.g., chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or radiation therapy). However, since publication in 2011, the use of the ICCTF recommendations in CRCI research has not been examined. Methods: Using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, we restricted study selection to only published studies that examined CRCI using standardized neuropsychological tests (vs. self-report measures). We then identified studies that used the ICCFT recommendations based on the ICCTF psychometric definition of cognitive impairment: In a standard battery of neuropsychological tests, one neuropsychological test score >2 standard deviations (sd) below the mean of a healthy control sample, or 2 neuropsychological test scores of >1.5 sd’s below the control mean, is considered a case of cognitive impairment. Results: We screened 146 CRCI studies published since 2011, with 93 manuscripts that utilized neuropsychological tests to evaluate CRCI. Of those, 35 (37.6%) incorporated the ICCTF recommendations in their methodology and data analysis. Between 2011 and 2022, there was a gradual adoption of ICCTF recommended standard of defining CRCI, ranging from 0% of published studies in 2011 to 56.2% in 2022, but a decline to 40% in 2023. With respect to cancer populations, ICCTF guidelines were most often used in studies of individuals with breast cancer (n = 17;18%). Conclusions: This review demonstrates increased use of the ICCTF recommended definition of CRCI in empirical investigations since their 2011 introduction but a decline in 2023. Use of the ICCTF recommendations can improve accuracy of estimating CRCI prevalence across different cancer disease populations and/or groups of individuals undergoing different cancer therapies. Greater adoption of the ICCTF definition of CRCI is encouraged especially considering a 2023 drop in its use. Broadening the study of CRCI using ICCTF recommendations among cancer populations beyond breast cancer is encouraged to better understand the breadth of impact CRCI across the spectrum of disease.