Level of depression and occurrence of cognitive changes in patients with multiple myeloma - a preliminary report

Abstract

Objectives The aim of the article is to study the changes in the level of cognitive and affective functioning in patients with multiple myeloma undergoing chemotherapy. Material and methods Montreal Cognitive Assessment scale (MoCA) - screening method - was used to determine the general cognitive state of patients. The general level of depression and its characteristic symptoms were determined with the use of Depression Measurement Questionnaire. Results Gathering first initial results of author’s own research – increasing the research sample could indicate an improved cognitive functioning in patients with multiple myeloma during chemotherapeutic treatment. Moreover, the research demonstrates a decrease in depression symptoms, i.e., self-blame and anxiety states, during chemotherapy. Conclusions The study requires further research owing to a small group of research participants (n=21), the presence of research data at the level of statistical tendency, and a need for a comparison with a group of healthy people (without a cancer diagnosis).

Keywords

• depression
• cancer
• multiple myeloma
• cognitive dysfunctions
• chemobrain