We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for participating in the SHINE CARES Breast Cancer and Memory Study.  The gift of your time has been appreciated.

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General information

To date 90 participants have participated in our study.  20 participants had breast cancer but were not treated with chemotherapy.  65 participants were treated with chemotherapy.  5 participants had no history of cancer.   The most common chemotherapy regimen reported was Adriamycin and Cytoxan or Adriamycin and Cytoxan followed by Taxol or Taxotere.  Approximately 16% of study participants identified themselves as Hispanic.  Approximately 80% identified themselves as non-Hispanic white.  53 was the average age at diagnosis.

Study results

We have been analyzing the study findings.  Preliminary data showed that attention was less than expected for participants treated with chemotherapy.  Preliminary data also showed that of those treated with chemotherapy, attention and memory were weaker for participants diagnosed during pre-menopause versus post-menopause.  Preliminary data showed that breast cancer survivors treated with radiation therapy had smaller whole brain volumes when compared to breast cancer survivors who were not treated with radiation therapy.  Copies of all are enclosed. 

We are in the process of writing two or three full scale articles about this important study.  Please check our website (see below) in the future to view these future articles.  It can take up to two years for articles to be published. 

Click here to see the published results.

Website and phone number

Please note that our web address is still http://www.shinecares.ahsc.arizona.edu.  Our phone number is changing to 520-626-6615.

We would like to thank the Susan G. Komen Foundation for their generous support of this study.

Again, we were honored by your participation in this important study.

Sincerely,

The SHINE CARES Research Team

Kris Kaemingk, Ph.D., Sheryl Reminger, Ph.D., and Robyn Kervick, Ph.D.,

Tara Patton, MSPH, Melissa Devries, MA, Shannon Lundy, MS