How breast cancer hormone therapy may affect memory and thinking over time
Official title: A longitudinal, nationally representative study of cognition-related effects of breast cancer and its treatment
Funded at Medical College of Wisconsin · NIH-11176886 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at whether aromatase inhibitor hormone treatments for postmenopausal breast cancer are linked with changes in thinking and memory in women, compared to women with breast cancer who did not take these drugs and to women without cancer.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Medical College of Wisconsin NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Milwaukee, United States) |
| Project start | September 23, 2022 |
| Project end | August 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $356,850 |
| NIH project number | 5R01CA264326-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11176886 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
The ideal people for this research are postmenopausal women with breast cancer who started aromatase inhibitor therapy and have linked survey or Medicare records, plus comparison groups of women with breast cancer who did not take AIs and of women without cancer.
✕Less likely to help
Younger or premenopausal breast cancer patients, men with breast cancer, or people without the needed survey or claims records are unlikely to be represented or to directly benefit from this analysis.
What this research studies
Researchers use 18 years of a national survey (the Health and Retirement Study) linked with Medicare medical and pharmacy claims to follow cognitive test scores before and after cancer treatment. They will identify women who started aromatase inhibitors and compare their neuropsychological performance over a 60-month period to women with breast cancer who did not receive these drugs and to similar-aged women without cancer. The project looks at cross-sections roughly one, three, and five years after starting AI therapy to estimate short- and longer-term changes. Analyses focus on validated cognitive measures and prescription records to connect treatment exposure with thinking and memory outcomes.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could clarify whether common hormone treatments for breast cancer increase the risk of lasting thinking or memory problems and help guide treatment choices and follow-up care.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work has documented cognitive complaints after chemotherapy, but long-term effects of aromatase inhibitors on thinking and memory are much less studied, so this analysis addresses a notable knowledge gap.
Where this research is happening
-
Medical College of Wisconsin
Milwaukee, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Nattinger, Ann B — Medical College of Wisconsin
- Study coordinator: Nattinger, Ann B
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.