| dc.description.abstract | Brazil is in a demographic and epidemiological transition, marked by an increase in the number of
elderly people and chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as cancer. Chemotherapy
stands out for its effectiveness in the treatment of this disease, but due to its lack of specificity, it can
cause adverse effects, among them, Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy (NPIQ). The aim
of this study was to evaluate changes in occupational performance, cognition and sensitivity caused
by neurotoxicity in adults and the elderly undergoing potentially neurotoxic chemotherapy. The
research was carried out in an adult oncology inpatient unit, located in a public hospital in the interior
of Rio Grande do Sul and evaluated eight (n = 8) elderly and five (n = 5) adults. It is a research with a
quantitative, longitudinal and descriptive approach. For data collection, a questionnaire about
sociodemographic and clinical information was used; the Canadian Occupational Performance
Measure (COPM) to assess possible changes as a result of the illness process; the Mini-Mental State
Examination (MMSE), the Antineoplastic-Induced Neurotoxicity Questionnaire (QNIA) and the
Semmes-Weinstein Monofilaments (MSW) to assess neurotoxicity. The COPM data went through the
instrument's own analysis and the other data were plotted in Excel software tables. The descriptive
analysis of the data was performed with presentation of mean and standard deviation, after checking
the normality curve of the data. The variables assumed non-parametric distribution by the Shapiro-
Wilk test, therefore it is necessary to choose non-parametric tests for the discrete variables. Fisher's
exact test for categorical variables and the Mann-Whitney test for numerical variables were used for
association. The results show that the occupational performance of adults and the elderly have
undergone changes, with emphasis on the domains of productivity and leisure. Regarding
performance satisfaction, changes occurred in the domains of self-care and productivity. As for
cognition, the results show slight changes in mental status, with general improvement between the
three phases of collection. However, when analyzing the scores by area, it is observed that the areas
of remembering, recording and attention and calculation showed a decline in the score throughout the
treatment. As for neurotoxicity, NPIQ affected the sensitivity of adults and the elderly, as all of them
report symptoms already in the middle of the treatment, showing a tendency of aggravation in the
elderly. The present study contributes to the understanding of changes in occupational performance
that the process of illness and neurotoxicity resulting from chemotherapy treatment can cause in the
lives of adults and the elderly, with a tendency of aggravation in the elderly. Neurotoxicity can cause
disabilities in daily life, impacting quality of life in the short and long term. The novelty of this study in
Brazil stands out and, as limiting factors, we highlight the small sample size and the suspension of
collections due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The NPIQ presents aspects that have not yet been clarified,
which need to be addressed in future research, such as differences in incidence, including after the
completion of treatment, risk factors and pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments. | |
