The purpose of this study is to evaluate the use of a nicotine patch as a treatment for problems with attention, learning and memory in breast cancer patients who are 1-5 years post chemotherapy.
Studies have suggested that chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer may change the way the brain functions. As a result, patients who receive chemotherapy for breast cancer may experience problems with their attention, learning, and memory that they did not have before receiving chemotherapy. The investigators have found that nicotine treatment can help other types of patients with similar difficulties with attention, learning, and memory. Nicotine is a naturally occurring substance found in tobacco and is known to interact with nerve cells in the brain that are important for functions like learning and memory, and has been studied in a number of disorders. This study is designed to test whether nicotine treatment is helpful for learning and memory problems after chemotherapy for breast cancer. This study will be a randomized, placebo-controlled pilot study to evaluate the effect of transdermal nicotine to 1) reduce subjective complaints and 2) enhance cognitive performance on laboratory measures of cognitive performance in breast cancer patients with persistent chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment (CRCI), a condition also known as "chemo brain." Participants will be randomized to either placebo or active compound (50/50) for the 6-week treatment portion of the study. Participants will be assessed before, during, and at the end of treatment. At the end of the 8-week study, participants will have the option to take part in the open-label portion of the study for an additional 6 weeks.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
QUADRUPLE
Enrollment
22
Nicotine patches are currently FDA approved for smoking cessation. Nicotine has effects that have been well studied for many years. Studies have shown that nicotine by itself does not appear by itself to be cancer causing. The use of the nicotine patch is not expected to increase risk of breast cancer recurrence.
Matching transdermal placebo patches will be used. Participants will follow the same titration schedule as the transdermal nicotine arm.
Center for Cognitive Medicine at Vanderbilt University
Nashville, Tennessee, United States
Change in the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Cognitive Function (FACT-Cog) PCI Scale
The Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Cognitive Function (FACT-Cog) scale will be used to monitor change in CRCI subjective complaints. This instrument has been used to monitor change in CRCI subjective complaints in previous studies and demonstrates good internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and discriminant and convergent validity. Specifically, the PCI subscale was used as the primary outcome measure. The FACT-Cog PCI consists of 20 items and has a minimum score of 0 and total possible score of 72. Higher scores indicate better cognitive functioning. The PCI evaluates memory, concentration, mental acuity, verbal fluency, functional interference, and multitasking ability. Visit 3 is the 3-week visit, Visit 4 is the 6-week visit, and Visit 5 is the 8-week visit. Change scores were calculated as follow
Time frame: Baseline to 8-Weeks
Conners Continuous Performance Test
The secondary outcome measure was the computerized Conners Continuous Performance Test (CPT), which measures sustained attention and vigilance. Participants see a series of letters appearing one at a time on a computer screen and they press a button for every letter that appears on the screen, except for "X". Lower scores indicate better performance. Scores on the CPT are calculated using the each participant's performance on the task (defined as reaction time (in ms) standard error/interstimulus interval). Change scores from baseline are then calculated. A decrease in CPT score = improvement. \*This is not a clinical measure. This is a research measure of reaction time variability and therefore there is no clinical interpretation and no defined score range.\*
Time frame: Baseline to 8 Weeks
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