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The following is a summary of “Digital multimodal intervention for cancer-related cognitive impairment in breast-cancer patients: Cog-Stim feasibility study,” published in the March 2025 issue of BMC Psychiatry by Binarelli et al. 

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to evaluate adherence and effectiveness of a digital multimodal intervention for cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI) in patients with breast cancer. 

They conducted a 12-week intervention with patients with breast cancer undergoing radiotherapy and experiencing cognitive complaints. It included 20-min cognitive and 30-min physical sessions twice weekly. Assessments covered perceived cognitive impairment (PCI), objective cognition, fatigue, anxiety/depression, sleep, and satisfaction. High adherence was achieved by completing 9/12 weeks, with a week completed if 70% of sessions were done. Physical activity intensity was defined by max age-related heart rate. 

The results showed that among 419 radiotherapy-treated patients with breast cancer, 170 (41%) had cognitive complaints, 83 (49%) were eligible, 29 (35%) were not included due to organizational issues, and 20 (37%) agreed to participate. Participants (48.3 ± 8 years) mostly received chemotherapy (18/20), and 17 had stage I-II cancer. Of these 11 had high adherence, with higher adherence to physical (95%) than cognitive training (55%). All were satisfied. Post-intervention, overall objective cognition (P = 0.016), PCI (P = 0.004), fatigue (P = 0.011), and depression (P = 0.049) improved. High adherence improved PCI (P = 0.01) and fatigue (P = 0.03). High-intensity physical training improved PCI (P < 0.05), fatigue (P = 0.011), and depression (P = 0.037). 

Investigators found the intervention feasible and potentially efficient for managing CRCI in patients with breast cancer. 

Source: bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12888-025-06630-9