Assessment of Cognition and Quality of Life in Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma Patients One Year Post-Treatment

Objectives: An increasing number of patients with cancer are offered chemotherapy given either alone or in combination with radiotherapy, surgery, or both as neo-adjuvant, concomitant, or adjuvant treatment. Cognitive dysfunction is a prevalent side effect of cancer treatments that may persist for years following treatment and has negative impact on quality of life. Thus, the present study was planned to investigate the prevalence of cognitive impairment, assess the quality of life (QOL) and determine the socioeconomic status in NHL patients one year post chemotherapy treatment. Methods: This was an observational study. All the prospective participants were screened on the basis of inclusion and exclusion criteria and the participants who met all the study inclusion criteria and had none of the exclusion criteria were enrolled in the study. Cognitive function was evaluated using Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) or Hindi Mental State Examination (HMSE), socioeconomic status was determined by Kuppuswamy scale and quality of life (QoL) was assessed by EORTC QLQ. Results: A total of 90 subjects (45 cases and 45 controls) were enrolled in the study. The control group scored more on MMSE/HMSE scale than the Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (NHL) patient group, suggesting difference in cognitive functioning between the groups (26.6 ± 2.4 vs. 27.8 ± 2.1, p=0.019), respectively. Socio-economic status did not have any impact on the prevalence of cognitive impairment in NHL patients; however, NHL was found to be more prevalent in upper-middle class. No significant difference was found between case and control for QoL. Conclusion: Cognitive dysfunction is a prevalent side effect of cancer treatment that may persist for a year following treatment. Further studies are needed to clarify the effect on quality of life.