Research Attitude and Interest among Cancer Survivors with or without Cognitive Impairment

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Currently, there remains a lack of interventions which sufficiently address the management of cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI). Therefore, this study focused on determining the research attitudes and interests of cancer survivors affected by cognitive impairment to improve the understanding of their interest in various clinical research procedures and design studies sought by these survivors. Among cancer survivors registered under the University of California Irvine Consent-to-Contact registry, those with perceived cognitive impairment were more interested in research involving approved medications, lumbar punctures, and autopsies compared to those experiencing less cognitive symptoms. Such results can serve to benefit the facilitation of the pathogenesis and monitoring of CRCI, as this study brings light to the consideration of research methods that are traditionally less utilized. ABSTRACT: Background: We examined the research attitudes and willingness to participate in clinical research among cancer survivors with varying degrees of cognitive function. Methods: This is a secondary analysis of data collected through the University of California Irvine Consent-to-Contact registry. Cancer survivors completed the Cognitive Function Instrument (CFI), the Research Attitudes Questionnaire (RAQ), and willingness to participate (WTP) in certain research procedures. Perceived cognitive impairment (CI) was defined as the worst 20% CFI scores. Results: Here, 265 CI and 909 cognitively non-impaired (CNI) participants’ data were analyzed. Mean age and sex distribution were similar, with fewer non-Hispanic Whites and education years among CI participants. More CI participants self-reported past diagnoses of Alzheimer’s disease, mild cognitive impairment, stroke, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and alcohol abuse (all p < 0.05). CI participants were significantly more interested in studies investigating approved medications (92% vs. 87%, p = 0.030), lumbar puncture (47% vs. 38%, p = 0.027), and autopsy (78% vs. 69%, p = 0.022). After removing survivors with co-existing neuropsychiatric conditions, interest in autopsy studies remained statistically higher among CI (79% vs. 69%, p = 0.022). Conclusions: Participants with cancer and CI are open to research procedures and interventions that are traditionally less utilized, which may facilitate the discovery of the pathogenesis and interventions for cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI).