Assessing cognitive function in adults during or following chemotherapy: a scoping review

Purpose The purpose of this scoping review was to determine the feasibility of conducting a systematic review of approaches for screening or assessing cognitive function that were comprehensive and that could be incorporated into clinical settings. Methods Using the scoping review approach developed by Arksey and O'Malley, we searched Ovid Embase 1980-, Ovid PsyciNFO 1806-, Ovid Health and Psychosoci.al. Instruments 1985-, EBSCOhost CIN.AHL, ISI Web of Science (Science Citation index 1900-), Social Sciences Citation Index 1900-, Conference Proceedings Citation Index -Science 1990-, Conference Proceedings Citation Index -Social Science & Humanities 1990-, Scopus 1960-, with no language restrictions. Searches were conducted in April 2009 and updated in February 2013. Studies of adults treated with chemotherapy that included at least seven of the eight domains of cognition were included. Results Eleven studies met inclusion criteria. No screening tools suitable for inclusion in a clinic were identified. The studies reviewed varied by inclusion/exclusion criteria, design, and instruments for assessing cognitive function, and thus, there are not yet enough studies to warrant a systematic review on this topic.