Prevalence of memory problems that limit daily functioning in adult cancer patients: A national representative sample of the U.S. population.

Abstract

9134 Background: Cancer and its treatments can adversely affect important aspects of cognitive functioning, especially memory. Few epidemiological studies, however, have examined the prevalence of memory impairment in cancer patients. This study quantifies the difference in memory problems between cancer and non-cancer populations. Methods: We used a stratified multi-stage probability sample of the civilian non- institutionalized U.S. population drawn from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Individuals with brain tumors were excluded because their cognitive impairments may have resulted directly from brain pathology or surgery/treatment. Participants were asked about limiting memory impairment that interfered with daily functioning using a self-report measure that was validated with scores on the Digit Span Test (given to a sub-sample). We adjusted our logit model for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, poverty and general health condition. Analyses were conducted using SAS 9.2 and SAS-callable SUDAAN 10.0 statistical software packages. Results: The sample included 9,819 individuals (4,862 males; 4,957 females) age 40 years and older from diverse educational and racial/ethnic backgrounds (blacks [1,938], whites [5,552], Hispanics [1,998] and other race/multi-racial [331]). Of the total sample, 1,305 participants have had cancer and 8,514 have not had cancer. More patients who have had cancer (14%) compared to those who have not had cancer (8%) reported memory problems. Having had cancer was independently associated with memory impairment (OR = 1.450 [95% CI = 1.121 to 1.875]). Other predictors of memory impairment included older age, sex, race/ethnicity, lower education, higher poverty, and poor general health (p < 0.01). Overall, people with cancer had a nearly 50% greater likelihood of memory problems than those without cancer. Conclusions: Cancer diagnosis was an independent predictor of memory impairment, which can exacerbate the disease burden and diminish quality of life. Strategies to reliably assess and control this problem for cancer patients and survivors are needed. No significant financial relationships to disclose.