Publicação

Evaluation of mental health, cognitive function and quality of life of breast cancer patients and the link with gut microbiota : a preliminary study (“biobreast brain study”)

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Resumo:	Abstract Introduction: Breast cancer (BC) patients face several physical and psychological problems, such as anxiety, depression, and cognitive dysfunction. The disease and treatments can also impact the microbiota, leading to cognitive and psychological issues, and, consequently, affecting quality-of-life (QOL). Since this is a prominent problem in BC patients, it is imperative to find strategies to improve it. Objective: To correlate the initial (before chemotherapy) gut microbiota of newly diagnosed HR+/HER2- BC patients with their mental health, cognitive function and QOL, at baseline and after 3 months of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). Methodology: This is a prospective, longitudinal, observational, preliminary study. Patients with newly diagnosed HR+/HER2- BC undergoing NAC were recruited upon diagnosis. At baseline (before chemotherapy), general and lifestyle information, adherence to the Mediterranean diet, biochemical analysis, gut microbiota profile, the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality-of-Life Questionnaire Core-30 (EORTC QLQ-C30), the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), were collected. The EORTC QLQ C30, MoCA and HADS were repeated 3 months after. Results: Most women showed mild cognitive impairment at baseline and there was no clear trend of improvement or deterioration at 3 months. Participants had borderline anxiety at baseline, which improved to a normal range, while depression remained stable. QOL declined for the majority of women, with over 70% experiencing problems at 3 months. The association of these parameters with microbiota profile suggested that women with poorer cognitive function over time had lower alpha-diversity and richness. Women with improved scores in the depression subscale of the HADS appear to have higher alpha-diversity and lower richness. Contrarily, alpha-diversity was lower and richness was higher for improved anxiety and global QOL scores. The results also suggest that changes in the abundance of various genera and phyla may be linked to the evolution of scores for the 3 questionnaires. Conclusion: The results suggest a link between the microbiota profile at diagnosis and the psychological symptoms that develop during BC treatment. The still limited literatureon the topic makes this study a novelty, indicating the need for further research. The results shed light on potential strategies for positively modulating the microbiota, to help enhance the body's resilience throughout the disease and treatments.
Autores principais:	Calafate, Catarina Pereira
Assunto:	Anxiety Breast Cancer Cognitive Function Depression Microbiota Quality-of-Life
Ano:	2023
País:	Portugal
Tipo de documento:	dissertação de mestrado
Tipo de acesso:	acesso embargado
Instituição associada:	Universidade Nova de Lisboa
Idioma:	inglês
Origem:	Repositório Institucional da UNL