Cancer survivors are at significant risk for cognitive impairments that have lifelong debilitating effects. Recent research findings suggest that impairments in attention, working memory, and processing speed may be contributors to overall intellectual declines in cancer survivors following chemotherapy. Various studies have shown that 40 to 100 percent of survivors of pediatric brain tumors will evidence some sort of cognitive deficit and at least 30 percent of survivors of acute lymphoblastic leukemia will experience some degree of neurocognitive deficit.

Since working memory capacity depends on frontal brain areas which increases in white matter extending into the third decade of life – and given that children treated for cancer demonstrate a significant loss of white matter, working memory may be particularly vulnerable to treatment effects.

Approximately 10,000-15,000 children are diagnosed with some form of cancer annually. As survival rates of children treated for malignant brain tumors and acute lymphoblastic leukemia continues to increase, it is crucial to find interventions that improve long term cognitive outcomes for these children. This is why several researchers are using Cogmed training on childhood cancer survivors to improve and repair working memory and overall cognitive functioning.

Researchers are also investigating the efficacy of Cogmed training on breast cancer survivors with memory and attention problems following chemotherapy.