Study of the Impact of Non-pharmacological Techniques on Cognitive Complaints in Cancer Patients

Plain-language summary

Cancer diagnosis generates a number of physical (pain, nausea and fatigue) and psychological implications for the patient. At the psychological level, there are high levels of emotional distress (anxiety and depression) and cognitive impairments such as memory, attentional and information processing deficits, that can undermine the quality of life. This last decade has shown great progress in cancer treatment allowing cancer patients, many of whom are of working age, to survive. Unfortunately, cancer diagnosis and treatment induce various symptoms necessitating the patient to interrupt or quit his occupational status. Hypnosis has been used in the past few years to treat these psychological and physical symptoms, be it at the moment of diagnosis, during and/or after the cancer treatments. A large amount of studies has shown a positive effect of hypnosis in cancer patients notably upon anxiety, emotional distress and fatigue, three factors that can negatively affect cognitive functions. The purpose of our study is to investigate the effect of a non-pharmacological treatment that combines self-hypnosis and self-care on well-being, cognitive complaints and return-to- work within a population of cancer patients. Our hypothesis is that, by reducing emotional distress and fatigue, self-hypnosis/self-care will reduce the cognitive difficulties of cancer patients, foster return-to-work, and eventually improve the patients' global quality of life.

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