Tablet app tracks eye movements to spot chemo brain
NCT ID NCT05186948
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study aimed to develop and validate a tablet-based eye-tracking app to detect cancer-related cognitive impairment, often called 'chemo brain.' Researchers planned to enroll 230 participants, including breast cancer patients scheduled for chemotherapy and healthy volunteers. The app would track eye movements to measure attention and processing speed. However, the study was terminated early, so its effectiveness remains unproven.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Eye-tracking software application
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could provide a simple, non-invasive way to detect and monitor brain fog in cancer patients using just a tablet.
- What could go wrong
- The study was terminated early, so results are limited. It is a small, early-stage development, and the technology may not prove accurate enough for clinical use.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Participants
-
230 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Mar 2022
- Finished
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Jan 2025
- Lead sponsor
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A company
The lead sponsor is a pharmaceutical, biotech, or medical-device company.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
Who is studied
Data will be obtained from 200 patients with an initial diagnosis of breast cancer stages I-IIIA and scheduled chemotherapy, fulfilling the eligibility criteria. Data will also be acquired from a group of 30 healthy control participants. Groups will be matched for age and sex.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Female participants only
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * For all participants: 1. Able to provide informed consent. 2. Visual acuity sufficient to be able to read the consent form with corrective lenses. 3. Over 18 years of age. 4. English- or French-speaking. * For patients only: 1. Initial diagnosis of breast cancer stage I-IIIA and scheduled chemotherapy 2. First-time cancer diagnosis. 3. ECOG performance \< 2 4. Receiving curative intent chemotherapy: either Adriamycin/Cyclophosphamide for 4 cycles followed by weekly Taxol for 12 cycles or Taxotere/Cyclophosphamide for 4 cycles Exclusion Criteria: * For all participants: 1. Evidence or medical history of neurological/psychiatric issues known to affect movements and oculomotor control. 2. Presence of comorbid neurological conditions to avoid eye movement anomaly confounds (Strabismus, cranial nerve palsy, stroke-causing hemianopsia). 3. Diagnosis of macular edema or other pre-existing ocular conditions that would prevent participants from performing the eye movement assessments. 4. Previous history of cancer or chemotherapy 5. Distant metastases 6. Recent (less than three months from enrollment) start of, change of dose, or irregular use of, new prescription drugs known to influence ocular motor visual function, such as benzodiazepines, antipsychotics and anticonvulsants. Occasional use of benzodiazepines for medical procedures is permitted, at the investigator's discretion, but should not occur within a short time period prior to or during an eye movement assessment. 7. Diagnosis of a substance abuse disorder. 8. Recreational drug use (e.g., alcohol, marijuana) is a potential exclusion criterion that will be determined on an individual basis as per the discretion of the research team. All recreational drug use will be documented.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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McGill University Health Center-Cedar Cancer Center
Montreal, Quebec, H4A 3J1, Canada
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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