Observational studyBMC cancer2025
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor and cytokines as predictors of cognitive impairment in adolescent and young adult cancer patients receiving chemotherapy: a longitudinal study.
Observational study in BMC cancer, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT03476070 (Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Patients), which is not on this map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled 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.
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.
Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Patients: Cognitive Toxicity on Survivorship (ACTS)
Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Cytokines and Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor as Biomarkers of Cognitive Impairment Related to Breast Cancer and Its Treatments: A Systematic Review.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Pooled it
- Electroacupuncture improves cognitive function and neuropsychiatric symptoms in breast cancer survivors: a pilot randomized controlled trial.Journal of the National Cancer Institute · 2026Trial
- Cancer therapy-related cognitive impairment, part 1: an integrative clinical-mechanistic framework from phenotypes to convergent neurobiological pathways.Pharmacological reports : PR · 2026Review
- Perturbed Inflammatory, Proliferation, Regulatory, And Neurodegeneration Signaling Pathways Are Associated With Trait Anxiety In Cancer Survivors.Research square · 2026Article
- Identification and Integration of LRG1-Induced Differentially Expressed Gene (DEG) Hub Profiles in Breast Cancer Cells.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- Multimodal Cancer Therapy and Accelerated Brain Aging: Mechanisms, Biomarkers, and Clinical Consequences.Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.) · 2026Review
- Epigenetic age acceleration and neurotrophin signaling pathways in cancer-related cognitive impairment: a longitudinal, prospective cohort study.Frontiers in aging · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundInflammatory signaling is linked with cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI), potentially through modulation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression. Here, we evaluate associations between plasma cytokines and BDNF and their relationship with cognition in a longitudinal study of adolescent and young adult cancer patients (AYAC) receiving chemotherapy and non-cancer controls (NC) (Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT03476070).
methodsNewly diagnosed AYAC (15-39 years old) and age-matched NC completed the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Cognitive Function questionnaire (FACT-Cog), the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB), and blood draws every 3-6 months up to 12 months (AYAC) or 6 months (NC) from baseline. Plasma levels of cytokines and BDNF were quantified using a multiplexed immunoassay and ELISA, respectively. Biomarker-cognition and cytokine-BDNF associations were analyzed using mixed-effects models with interactions for chemotherapy status for AYAC (during chemotherapy vs. > 30 days post-chemotherapy).
resultsOne-hundred and seventy-seven participants were included, with 66 AYAC and 111 NC. AYAC had a higher frequency of clinically significant cognitive impairment during and post-chemotherapy compared to NC. In trends unique to AYAC, higher IL-10 was associated with better self-perceived cognition, IL-8 with better multi-tasking, IL-6 with worse multi-tasking, response speed, and attention, and TNF-α with better memory (p < 0.05). Higher BDNF was associated with better memory and response speed (p < 0.05). IL-4, IL-10, TNF-α, and IFN-γ were associated with BDNF levels among AYAC and NC (p < 0.05).
conclusionsOur large, age-matched study implicates dysregulated cytokine signaling and altered BDNF expression in CRCI among AYAC during and post-chemotherapy. As precision medicine becomes integrated into AYA patient care, plasma BDNF and cytokines may serve as important predictors of CRCI onset.
trial registrationThe study was prospectively registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03476070) on March 3, 2018.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.