Brain training may ease chemo brain in breast cancer survivors
NCT ID NCT01182506
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Sep 10, 2026 · Updated 3 times
Summary
This study tests a 5-week computer-based memory training program for breast cancer survivors who have memory and attention problems after chemotherapy. Sixty women will be randomly assigned to either the full working memory training or a less challenging version. The goal is to see if the training improves memory test scores and daily function.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Cogmed Working Memory Training Program (computer-based cognitive training software)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a non-drug way to improve memory and attention in breast cancer survivors after chemotherapy.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage study with only 60 participants. The comparison version is less challenging, so any benefit may be modest. Also, tics may increase during training.
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.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 60 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Start date
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Aug 2010
- Expected to finish
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Aug 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 69 years
- 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.
Note: Any participant who reports tics can be included, however participants will be told tics may increase during the training period. Inclusion Criteria: Patients * Female breast cancer survivors who have received adjuvant chemotherapy 1-10 years from the time of recruitment either at MSKCC or elsewhere * Stage I, II, III breast cancer as noted in pathology reports or by clinician judgement. * No evidence of disease at time of screening * Age range 18 years old through \<70 years old * Must be able speak, read and write English well enough to complete written and verbal assessments and neurocognitive tests. The software was developed and validated in English and are not currently available in other languages. Translation of questionnaires into other languages would require reestablishing the reliability and validity of these measures. * Must demonstrate cognitive deficiency, which is defined as 1.0 standard deviations below normative data on at least one of the pre-screen phone assessments (WAIS-III Digit Span, Symbol Digit Modalities Test, Controlled Oral Word Association Test, Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test) or must have 1.0 standard deviations difference from the pre-morbid estimate of cognitive functioning, Wide Range Achievement Test 4: Reading subtest, and one of the pre-screen phone assessment measures. * Must have basic computer skills such as able to turn on a computer, open the program, login, and use a mouse. * Participants must have the ability to upload their data via the internet. A study laptop can be loaned out to participants who do not have a computer or the appropriate operating systems. Collateral Participant (if such person is available to the participant, not a requirement of the study) Family member or friend (i.e., collateral) identified by a patient who has at least weekly face to face contact with the patient * Collateral person is at least 18 years of age * Family member or friend has adequate English fluency for completion of data collection. The surveys were designed and validated in English and are not currently available in other languages. Translation of questionnaires into other languages would require reestablishing the reliability and validity of these measures. * Able to provide informed consent Exclusion Criteria: Patients * History of neurological disorder with cognitive symptoms (e.g., Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, seizure disorder) as per self report or as documented in the electronic medical record. * History of mental retardation, learning disorder bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, substance use disorder(s), or uncontrolled depression as per self report or as documented in the medical record. * History of Traumatic Brain Injury with \> or = to 30 minutes loss of consciousness or cognitive sequelae as per self report or as documented in the medical record. * History of Stroke as per self report or as documented in the medical record. * Prior history or secondary diagnosis of other cancers except for basal cell carcinoma or melanoma treated with surgery only * History of multiple courses of chemotherapy. * Evidence of recurrence at time of screening * A hearing or visual deficit that impairs the ability to use the software. * Significant cognitive or psychiatric disturbance sufficient, in the investigator's judgment, to preclude providing informed consent. * Males will be excluded as only a minority of men gets breast cancer. Thus, there would not be enough men to have equivalent groups to statistically control for possible gender effects.
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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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Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
New York, New York, 10021, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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