Cancer Patient Cognitive Disorders: Causes, Prevention and Management
A special issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694). This special issue belongs to the section "Cancer Survivorship and Quality of Life".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026 | Viewed by 176
Special Issue Editor
Interests: brain health; geriatric patients; cognitive impairment; immunotherapy-related cognitive dysfunction; radiation-induced cognitive impairment; onco-anesthesiology; prehabilitation; surgery; outcomes; pain management; enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS)
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Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Delirium is a syndrome marked by an acute disturbance in attention and awareness that cannot be better attributed to another neurocognitive disorder. It typically presents with fluctuating consciousness, confusion, and disorganized thinking. Among hospitalized geriatric patients, delirium is one of the most common neuropsychiatric complications, affecting 10–31% of this population. In those with cancer, prevalence increases to 25–42%, and among geriatric cancer patients receiving end-of-life care, rates can rise to approximately 85%.
Delirium in these populations is associated with significant adverse outcomes, including longer hospital stays, increased mortality, greater risk of persistent functional dependence, long-term cognitive impairment, and reduced ability to resume cancer treatments or daily activities. These consequences contribute to diminished quality of life for both patients and caregivers as well as higher healthcare costs.
Despite these serious impacts, delirium remains a prevalent, underrecognized, and distressing complication in cancer care—particularly in patients with advanced disease or those undergoing intensive therapy. Research and guidance addressing delirium specifically within oncology remain fragmented, and there is currently no record of a major academic journal dedicating a Special Issue solely to delirium in cancer patients. This proposed Special Issue aims to fill this gap by offering a dedicated platform to advance knowledge, improve detection, and inform best practices for managing delirium in oncologic settings.
This Special Issue represents an exceptional opportunity to contribute to this groundbreaking field of cancer patients and delirium. We encourage submissions encompassing various critical areas, including but not limited to delirium screening tools validated in cancer populations, etiology and risk stratification in different cancer types and treatment, neuroimaging and biomarker studies, delirium prevention and early intervention strategies, the impact of delirium on patient, caregiver, and system outcomes, and cultural differences in the perception and management of delirium. Submissions from around the world are welcome. Manuscripts may take the form of literature reviews (systematic literature reviews, meta-analyses, narrative reviews, and perspective articles) or original research (trials, cohort studies, experimental laboratory work, and case–control studies), as long as they exhibit high quality and a strong focus on cancer patient delirium. Please note that case reports and study protocols will not be considered. The scope of this issue is intentionally broad to encourage coverage of a diverse range of topics and viewpoints related to cancer patient delirium.
Prof. Dr. Jeffrey Jianhong Huang
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Cancers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- delirium
- brain health
- cognitive impairment
- cancer
- etiology
- risk stratification
- screening tool
- biomarkers
- postoperative delirium
- pain management
- delirium prevention
- management
- outcomes
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