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Purpose Patients with breast cancer may develop cognitive impairment as a result of hormone therapy and aging. This study aimed to describe older patients’ experience of cognitive impairment related to hormone therapy for breast cancer. Methods A qualitative and descriptive design was used. Semi-structured interviews were conducted for 11 patients to ask about their experience in daily life related to their cognitive impairment. Study participants were evaluated by cancer-specific geriatric assessment. Inductive content analysis was conducted using interview records. Results Three themes emerged from the patients’ narrative data: recognizing of cognitive impairments, impacts on mental health, and coping with cognitive impairments. Recognizing of cognitive function consisted of two categories: perception of cognitive changes and acknowledging their cognitive function status through interacting with others. Impacts on mental health consisted of six categories: decreased motivation for social activities, upset by perception of cognitive decline, concerns about impacts of cognitive impairment on treatment of breast cancer, concerns about care burden of their family, concerns about progressing of cognitive impairments, and feeling secure that their cognitive impairment is not unusual. Coping with cognitive impairments consisted of two categories: coping with problems related to cognitive impairment and trying to maintain and improve cognitive function. Conclusion Medical professionals should perform a comprehensive evaluation of older patients receiving hormone therapy for breast cancer. |
