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Cancer Survivorship and Care / Cancer Related Cognitive Impairment Studies · Journal article
Discover Public Health · August 8, 2026
Early or partial results. Treat as a signal, not a conclusion.
This cross-sectional study of 50 newly diagnosed non-CNS cancer patients in South Africa reports a moderate positive correlation between perceived cognitive impairment and quality of life (rs = 0.554, p < 0.001), and between perceived cognitive impairment and comments from others (rs = 0.460, p < 0.001), but no significant correlation between comments from others and quality of life. The findings suggest an association between self-reported cognitive difficulties and QOL before treatment in this population, but are descriptive and correlational, unable to establish causation or inform intervention design.
Cross-sectional study. Newly diagnosed non-CNS cancer patients aged 18 years and above, pre-treatment, at a tertiary hospital in Gauteng, South Africa.. n = 50. Tertiary hospital in Gauteng, South Africa.
Significant moderate positive correlation between perceived cognitive impairment and quality of life: rs(44) = 0.554, p < 0.001 Significant moderate positive correlation between perceived cognitive impairment and comments from others about cognition: rs(46) = 0.460, p < 0.001 No significant association between comments from others and quality of life: rs(46) = 0.172, p = 0.242
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The association between perceived cognitive impairment and QOL before treatment suggests that screening for cognitive complaints and early intervention may be warranted in this population; however, the cross-sectional design and small sample prevent determination of whether cognitive impairment causes QOL decline or vice versa, and no intervention efficacy is demonstrated.
Small cross-sectional study in a single centre using subjective cognitive assessment and correlational analysis, without a comparator or intervention, addressing an understudied population but insufficient to establish causation or guide practice change.
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The association between perceived cognitive impairment and QOL before treatment suggests that screening for cognitive complaints and early intervention may be warranted in this population; however, the cross-sectional design and small sample prevent determination of whether cognitive impairment causes QOL decline or vice versa, and no intervention efficacy is demonstrated.
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Recent evidence has revealed that non-CNS cancer patients experience pre-treatment cognitive complaints with a negative impact on their quality of life (QOL). Despite this knowledge, there is a lack of studies in resource-constrained settings that investigate cognitive complaints before treatment and their association with QOL among diverse non-CNS cancers. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between cognitive difficulties and quality of life among newly diagnosed non-CNS cancer patients in an African context. A purposive sample of 50 non-CNS cancer patients aged 18 years and above were recruited into a cross-sectional study before oncology treatment at a tertiary hospital in Gauteng. The patients were assessed for subjective cognitive functioning using the perceived cognitive impairment, comments from others, and quality of life subscales of the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy–Cognitive Function (FACT-Cog) version 3. Spearman correlational analyses and t-test were performed to examine associations and differences. We observed a significant and moderate positive association between perceived cognitive impairment (PCI) and comments from others about cognition (Oth) ( r s(46) = 0.460, p <.001) and between PCI and quality of life (QOL) ( r s(44) = 0.554, p <.001). No significant association was found between Oth and QOL r s(46) = 0.172, p = 0.242. The findings revealed an association between perceived cognitive impairment (PCI) and quality of life among non-CNS cancer patients before treatment. The results highlight the need for cognitive and life quality of screening before treatment and implementation of early interventions to prevent deterioration and to improve health outcomes.
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