Using Single-Case Experimental Design and Patient-Reported Outcome Measures to Evaluate the Treatment of Cancer-Related Cognitive Impairment in Clinical Practice

SIMPLE SUMMARY: After cancer diagnosis and treatment, many patients report difficulty with cognitive functions such as learning, memory, and attention. Cancer-related cognitive impairment (also known as CRCI) can lead to problems in work, social life, and other daily activities. Research on the treatment of CRCI is ongoing, and one approach, cognitive-behavioral therapy or CBT, may be helpful. This article describes how to track symptoms with patient-reported outcome measures for individual cancer survivors who engage in CBT or other CRCI treatments in clinical practice. This system may help determine if treatments are effective and improve real-world patient outcomes. ABSTRACT: Cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI) affects a large proportion of cancer survivors and has significant negative effects on survivor function and quality of life (QOL). Treatments for CRCI are being developed and evaluated. Memory and attention adaptation training (MAAT) is a cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) demonstrated to improve CRCI symptoms and QOL in previous research. The aim of this article is to describe a single-case experimental design (SCED) approach to evaluate interventions for CRCI in clinical practice with patient-reported outcome measures (PROs). We illustrate the use of contemporary SCED methods as a means of evaluating MAAT, or any CRCI treatment, once clinically deployed. With the anticipated growth of cancer survivorship and concurrent growth in the number of survivors with CRCI, the treatment implementation and evaluation methods described here can be one way to assess and continually improve CRCI rehabilitative services.