Illuminating Black, Hispanic, and Asian Women’s Breast Cancer-related Cognitive Impairment Symptom Experience: An Integrative Review

Abstract

Background: Cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI) affects up to 75% of breast cancer survivors (BCSs). Biopsychosocial stressors contribute to CRCI. Thus, given the socioeconomic disparities and discrimination experienced by racial/ethnically minoritized women in the Unites States, it is important to understand how these women experience CRCI when diagnosed with breast cancer. Objective: To synthesize and evaluate published literature from 2000 to 2021 addressing the CRCI symptom experience throughout breast cancer survivorship for racial/ethnically minoritized women in the United States. Methods: Systematic search of PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Google Scholar, Embase, and Scopus and review following Whittemore and Knafl’s methodology. Results: Of 970 identified articles, 13 were included. Literature primarily focused on Black BCSs. Black and Hispanic BCSs were more likely than White BCSs to experience cognitive impairment pre- and postchemotherapy. Black BCSs consistently perceived greater CRCI than White BCSs contributing to overall symptom burden and challenging quality of life. Conclusions: Studies describing the CRCI experience of Black, Hispanic, and Asian American BCSs are limited with few focused on CRCI as the primary variable of interest, delineating minoritized women’s data from others’, or assessing via neurological batteries or brain imaging, pointing to gaps in this field. Implications for Practice: Health practitioners should assess Black, Hispanic, and Asian BCSs for CRCI throughout their cancer trajectory and intervene to reduce the contribution of co-occurring symptoms and institutional racism to CRCI. What is Foundational: This review identifies knowledge gaps and limitations in the existing body of evidence to support future research on CRCI among Black, Hispanic, and Asian BCSs.