Grant: Doctoral Research Award: Canada Graduate Scholarships

Cancer is one of the world's most dangerous afflictions that leads to human hardship, distress, and loss. Although chemotherapy can be an effective treatment, it can lead to long-lasting negative cognitive effects. These cognitive effects have been shown to cause psychological distress and decrease cancer patients' quality of life. Cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy treatments may experience chemotherapy-related cognitive changes and deficits that can last for many years post-chemotherapy. Treatments are needed to protect patients against cognitive decline and aerobic exercise and mindfulness techniques may show promise in improving these outcomes. To test whether exercise and mindfulness may help those experiencing chemotherapy treatment-related effects, young adult (aged 19-39) cancer patients will be recruited from clinics around the Ottawa region. These patients will engage in either a multi-week exercise program during chemotherapy, a mindfulness-based program during chemotherapy, or will act as a control group and experience one of these programs after chemotherapy treatments have ended. Patient cognitive outcomes will be measured before the programs, after the programs, and a year later. The differences in cognitive functioning between these groups will allow for a determination of which of the programs were effective at protecting patients against chemotherapy-related cognitive decline. The findings of this project have implications for the vulnerable population of cancer patients in Canada. If exercise or mindfulness can be identified as a beneficial guard against the harmful effects of chemotherapy, it can help cancer patients live better lives both during and after treatment.