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Objective: To review the evidence for a systematic relationship between cancer patients' pre-treatment expectations (anticipated side effects) and subsequent experience of treatment-related side effects, and to compare this relationship in patients with no prior treatment experience (cognitive expectations) and with some prior treatment experience (conditioned response). Methods: A total of 12,952 citations were identified through a comprehensive search of the literature published on or before November 2016 and screened against inclusion criteria. Studies were eligible if they included participants undergoing curative treatment for cancer, measured a treatment side effect, examined the relationship between anticipation and experience of side effects, and reported quantitative data. Results: Thirty-one studies were included in the review and meta-analysis (total N = 5069). The side effects examined were nausea (anticipatory and post-treatment), vomiting, fatigue, pain, problems with concentration, and skin reactions. Meta-analyses indicated positive associations between anticipation and subsequent experience for all included side effects in patients with no prior treatment exposure (r = 0.153-0.431). Stronger associations were found for all included side effects in patients with previous treatment experience (r = 0.211-0.476), except for fatigue (r = 0.266) and pain (r = 0.235). No significant differences were found when overall effect sizes for patients with and without prior treatment exposure were compared for each side effect, except for anticipatory nausea (p = 0.012). Conclusion: These results may have implications for future interventions that target patients' expectations of cancer treatment-related side effects. Future research could explore patient reports of messages received about likely treatment effects both before and during treatment. Refereed/Peer-reviewed

Evidence suggests that some cancer survivors experience cognitive difficulties following chemotherapy. However, perceived or subjective cognitive impairment is more frequently reported than prevalence revealed by objective assessments. The aim of this review was to examine the relationship between subjective and objective measures of cognitive impairment following treatment for cancer and to determine the number of studies that found a significant relationship between these measures of cognition. A comprehensive search for articles, published between 1980 and 2012, comparing subjective and objective cognition in cancer patients treated with chemotherapy was conducted. Of 818 potentially relevant articles, 23 studies met the inclusion criteria for the current review and one article was sourced from reference lists of included studies. Only eight of 24 included studies found a significant relationship between objective and subjective measures of cognitive performance. These studies were more likely to involve breast cancer patients and to assess the relationship between memory and perceived cognitive impairment. The failure to consistently find an association between subjective and objective measures of cognition could be explained by variations in assessment methods or the definition of impairment. Alternatively, objective and perceived cognitive impairment may be unrelated because perceived impairment may be an indicator of psychological distress rather than cognitive impairment. Despite these discrepancies, patients’ perceptions of impairment are important due to its significant impact on quality of life. Further research is required to explore whether objective measures of everyday functioning better predict the impact of chemotherapy related cognitive impairment on daily functioning. Refereed/Peer-reviewed