Prospective memory in breast cancer survivors treated with endocrine therapy: findings from an ecological virtual reality task.

Authors

Mylène Duivon, Joy Perrier, François Christy, Jean-Michel Grellard, Bénédicte Clarisse, Florence Joly, Marie Fernette, François Gernier, Julien Geffrelot, George Emile, Christelle Lévy, Grégory Lecouvey, Fausto Viader, Francis Eustache, Bénédicte Giffard

Published in

Archives of clinical neuropsychology : the official journal of the National Academy of Neuropsychologists. Volume 41. Issue 7. Sep 09, 2026.

Abstract

Cognitive effects of endocrine therapy (ET) in breast cancer are often subtle and may escape detection by standard neuropsychological assessments. Prospective memory (PM)-the ability to carry out intended actions-is particularly sensitive to mild cognitive changes, and crucial for autonomy and treatment adherence. This study examined the impact of ET, administered without chemotherapy, on PM using a virtual reality (VR)-based paradigm.
Thirty-eight postmenopausal breast cancer survivors treated with ET (ET+) or without ET (ET-), and 21 healthy controls were evaluated. To isolate the cognitive effects of ET, none of the patients had received chemotherapy. Participants completed standardized neuropsychological tests, self-report questionnaires, and a VR-based PM task assessing recall of event-based (EB) and time-based (TB) intentions after short (10-min) and long (10 h) delays.
Despite preserved performance on standard neuropsychological measures, ET+ patients showed significantly lower PM performance than ET- patients, specifically for TB intentions after the short delay (p.adj = .002). The prospective component of these TB intentions was particularly less frequently retrieved (p.adj = .014), despite preserved storage.
This study provides preliminary evidence suggesting that ET, independent of chemotherapy-related neurotoxicity, may be associated with alterations in PM. The pattern of PM performance in ET+ patients suggests a disruption in self-initiated retrieval processes during early consolidation, when memory traces remain labile and vulnerable to interference. The use of an immersive VR-based PM paradigm revealed subtle cognitive changes not captured by conventional assessments, underscoring the clinical value of ecologically valid tools.

PMID:
42770237
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 22 Sep 2026.

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