Identification of Mild Cognitive Impairments in Cancer Survivors

ABSTRACT

Changes in cognitive functioning are a frequent complaint of persons diagnosed and treated for cancer. The purposes of this study were to explore the feasibility of the use of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) for identifying mild cognitive impairment in persons who are cancer survivors as well as begin to identify the prevalence of mild cognitive impairment in cancer survivors as identified by the MoCA. Thirty-eight cancer survivors participated in this study, and 14 scored below the cutoff score of 26 on the MoCA, which indicated mild cognitive impairment. These results indicate assessment of cognitive changes in cancer patients and survivors should be part of the occupational therapy evaluation and that the MoCA is a feasible tool for such use.