Neuro-Cognitive Effects of Treatment

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Neuro-Cognitive Effects of Treatment

Posted 12/5/2011

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Another favorite topic and a "blight on too many of our houses": chemo-brain. Although, in this case, the more refined term of "Neuro-cognitive effects" is used. My experience has been that this is anothr highly variable side effect or reaction to diagnosis and treatment. Although there is increasing evidence that the drugs make a negative impact, I am sure that stress and fatigue and distratction also play important roles. The good news is that it gets better over time.

Here is the abstract and then a link to this article from Critical Reviews in Oncology Hematology:

Neuro-cognitive impairment in breast cancer patients: Pharmacological considerations??

Yin Ting Cheung a, Wai Keung Chui a, Alexandre Chan a,

Abstract
Post-chemotherapy cognitive impairment has been an issue of concern in cancer survivors. While most reviews are focused on patient-related factors, it is proposed that drug-related factors may also be determinants. The objective of this review is to study the relationship between the types and dose intensities of chemotherapy regimens on cognitive impairment in breast cancer patients through a systematic literature search.
Eighteen prospective studies were selected. The types, dose intensities and durations of chemotherapy regimens received by subjects were compared against prevalence results obtained in individual studies. It was observed that the duration of impairment varied across different generations of chemotherapy regimens. Concurrent administration of multiple cytotoxic agents can lead to a synergistic decline on cognition.
Current clinical evidence is insufficient to evaluate the relationship between the types, dose intensities of chemotherapy regimens and cognitive impairment. More investigation is needed to examine the role of pharmacological factors in chemotherapy-associated cognitive changes.

http://www.citeulike.org/article/9937578

Have personal or specific cancer questions that you would like me to answer? Then email me at hhill@bidmc.harvard.edu and I'll respond on my Ask Hester blog: