Chemotherapy and Memory Problems

A recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology has documented what many chemotherapy patients already know-chemotherapy can have an impact on memory and mental sharpness during the course of treatment, and possibly thereafter.

The side effect, sometimes referred to as "chemo brain," is temporary and usually subtle, but it does in fact exist for many patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment for their disease. Remarkably, however, there have been surprisingly few studies focusing on this side effect.

The study, by Dr. Ian Tannock of Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto and colleagues, assessed the memory and language skills of 31 women over the course of their chemotherapy treatment. They also tested cognitive function in 40 women who had completed chemotherapy at least one year earlier.

Tannock's team found that regardless of the women's mood, age and education, the chemotherapy patients showed varying degrees of mental impairment. They suggested that chemotherapy drugs may have some impact on healthy brain cells in the way these drugs also impact other healthy cells, causing side effects such as hair loss and nausea.

However, Tannock strongly cautioned that their results are preliminary and should in no way discourage cancer patients from chemotherapy treatment for their disease.

In an earlier study presented at a meeting of the American Cancer Society, Timothy Ahles, Ph.D. of Dartmouth Medical School reported on his study of the long-term effects of chemotherapy on a group of 128 patients who had finished their treatment at least five years earlier. Seventy-one of the patients received standard dose chemotherapy while 57 had only surgery or radiation.

Ahles' team found that the former chemo patients scored lower on comparative standardized tests that measured mental and psychological functions than the patients who had only surgery or radiation therapy. He speculated that chemotherapy drugs may be crossing the blood-brain barrier more than previously thought.

Ahles noted that his findings seemed to "trigger more questions than answers" and that further research is needed to learn exactly how and to what extent chemotherapy drugs may impair cognitive function.

SOURCES:
Journal of Clinical Oncology, July 2000; 18:2695-2701
Meeting of the American Cancer Society, March 28, 2000, Tampa, Florida

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