Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32154659›Full record

ArticleBrain and behavior2020

The role of metamemory on cognitive complaints in cancer patients.

Bénédicte Giffard, Audrey Perrotin, Philippe Allain, Jacques Dayan, Francis Eustache, Jean-Michel Grellard, Audrey Faveyrial, Florence Joly, Marie Lange

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Brain and behavior, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
0.6field-weighted citation impact, top 28% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 10 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Mapping Cognitive Oncology: A Decade of Trends and Research Fronts.Medical sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025
    Review
  2. Investigating the Effects of Discrimination Experiences on Everyday Metamemory Accuracy.The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences · 2024
    Article
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Bénédicte GiffardEPHE, INSERM, U1077, CHU de Caen, Neuropsychologie et Imagerie de la Mémoire Humaine, PSL University, Normandie Univ, UNICAEN, Caen, France.ORCID 0000-0001-8360-0084
Audrey PerrotinEPHE, INSERM, U1077, CHU de Caen, Neuropsychologie et Imagerie de la Mémoire Humaine, PSL University, Normandie Univ, UNICAEN, Caen, France.
Philippe AllainLaboratoire de Psychologie des Pays de la Loire (LPPL EA 4638), Université d'Angers, Université de Nantes, Angers, France.
Jacques DayanEPHE, INSERM, U1077, CHU de Caen, Neuropsychologie et Imagerie de la Mémoire Humaine, PSL University, Normandie Univ, UNICAEN, Caen, France.
Francis EustacheEPHE, INSERM, U1077, CHU de Caen, Neuropsychologie et Imagerie de la Mémoire Humaine, PSL University, Normandie Univ, UNICAEN, Caen, France.
Jean-Michel GrellardClinical Research Department, Centre François Baclesse, Caen, France.
Audrey FaveyrialAmbulatory Department, Centre François Baclesse, Caen, France.
Florence JolyCancer & Cognition Platform, Ligue Contre le Cancer, Caen, France.
Marie LangeCancer & Cognition Platform, Ligue Contre le Cancer, Caen, France.
Inserm · FRCentre François Baclesse · FRLaboratoire de Psychologie des Pays de la Loire · FR

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveAlthough cancer patients frequently report cognitive disturbances, it is commonly asserted a lack of association between cognitive complaints and neuropsychological test performances. Our goal was to better understand the relationships between subjective and objective cognitive scores through a metamemory monitoring assessment.

methodsSixty cancer patients currently treated by chemotherapy and/or targeted therapy, and 30 healthy controls (HC) were included. Cognitive complaint was assessed by FACT-cog, QAM and DEX questionnaires. One or more z-scores ≤-1.65 among these three questionnaires defined the presence of cognitive complaints. Objective cognitive performances assessed episodic memory, processing speed and executive functions/working memory (ESR paradigm, TMT, Stroop, n-back). Metamemory was assessed with a Judgment of Learning (JOL) task.

resultsPatients with cognitive complaints had significantly more depressive and anxiety symptoms (ps < .004), and lower performances on several cognitive tests (ps < .05) than both patients without complaints and HC. More specifically, analyses of the metamemory scores revealed that HC gave significantly more overestimations ("Yes" judgment and incorrect recall) than patients with cognitive complaints (p = .036). For these patients, JOL scores correlated positively with executive functioning (ps < .01).

conclusionMetamemory monitoring seems to be well-preserved during cancer. What is more, patients make less overestimation than HC, and they do not underestimate their memory. An accurate self-estimation of memory abilities in cancer patients, particularly those with mild cognitive deficits, may play an adaptive function. Our results suggest that the discrepancy frequently reported between cognitive complaints and objective cognitive scores may not be related to metamemory monitoring dysfunction.

Indexed as

AdultAgedCognitive DysfunctionExecutive FunctionFemaleHumansJudgmentLearningMaleMemory, Short-TermMental RecallMetacognitionMiddle AgedNeoplasmsNeuropsychological TestsSurveys and Questionnairescancer patientscognitionmemorymetacognitionmetacognitive monitoringmetamemoryneuropsychology

Identifiers

PMID32154659
PMCPMC7177574
OpenAlexW3011403978

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.