Cognitive decline in cancer: A cross-sectional study

"Chemo brain" — the cognitive fog and memory difficulties that some people experience during or after cancer treatment — is a well-documented but poorly understood phenomenon. This cross-sectional study is investigating how common cognitive impairment is among people with cancer in the Perth and Peel regions of Western Australia, and exploring the biological and psychological factors that might explain it. Participants will complete a series of tests assessing memory, attention, processing speed, and executive function (planning and problem-solving), alongside questionnaires about quality of life, sleep, anxiety, and pain. Blood samples will also be taken to look at biological markers related to brain health. The study also involves healthy volunteers with no cancer history as a comparison group, to establish what typical cognitive performance looks like. You may be eligible if you are 18 or older, live in or near the Perth/Peel region of Western Australia, have a confirmed cancer diagnosis that does not involve the central nervous system (brain or spinal cord), and are currently undergoing any form of treatment. Healthy adults with no history of cancer may also participate as controls. You would not be eligible if you have a pre-existing cognitive or developmental condition, a neurodegenerative disease, are pregnant, or have central nervous system metastases.