By Admin at 6 May 2016, 10:46 AM

Once you’ve made it through cancer treatment and are starting to physically feel more like yourself, you probably expect your brain to follow suit. But for a sizeable number of cancer survivors, a deterioration of cognitive function, commonly known as “chemobrain,” ensues.

Chemobrain is often described as a mental fog. It may last for a short time or continue for years. Some people report memory trouble, such as forgetting things they once knew or difficulty remembering names and dates.

For other people, chemobrain results in trouble concentrating and multi-tasking, slower thinking and processing or not being able to come up with the right word to finish a sentence. In short, your mental edge disappears and, depending on the severity, you may even have trouble returning to work and functioning like you used to.

Symptoms of chemobrain may occur during or after cancer treatment, and although chemobrain has even been reported in people who received treatments other than chemotherapy (which suggests there may be multiple causes), chemotherapy is a known trigger.

New research shows, however, that not all chemotherapy drugs affect the brain the same way. In fact, one class of chemotherapy drugs used in the study was not related to chemobrain at all.

The drugs, anthracyclines, are used to treat many types of cancer, including breast cancer. The study followed breast cancer survivors for an average of nearly five years after their primary treatment and assessed mental skills including memory, processing speed and executive function.

The women’s mental skills were similar whether or not they were treated with anthracyclines. Adriamycin (doxorubicin), Doxil (doxorubicin), and Ellence (epirubicin) are examples of anthracycline drugs. The researchers concluded:

 
“In this study, we could not find evidence to support the claim that anthracycline treatment confers greater risk of cognitive decline for breast cancer survivors.”

More research is needed, however, as the finding contradicts past studies that have linked the drugs to greater cognitive risks.

A study published in the February 2016 issue of JAMA Oncology revealed, for example, that those treated with anthracyclines scored significantly lower on tests of verbal memory, immediate and delayed recall and more.

Those researchers concluded, “anthracyclines may have greater negative effects than nonanthracycline regimens on particular cognitive domains and brain network connections.”

It could be that everyone is affected differently, and it’s a good idea to discuss treatments options with your physician, who can help you to choose those with the greatest benefit and least amount of risk. Meanwhile, if you or a loved one is struggling with chemobrain, the following tips may help:

• Use a calendar and/or electronic reminders to remember important dates and upcoming tasks
• Put sticky notes around your home to remind you of things you need to do
• Try to form habits that will make items easier to find, such as putting your car keys in a basket on your counter every time you come home
• Avoid multi-tasking and instead allow yourself to focus on one thing at a time
• Lead a healthy lifestyle—healthy eating habits, exercise, proper sleep and stress relief can help you mentally and physically

 Sources
JAMA Oncology April 21, 2016
JAMA Oncology February 2016
MedicineNet April 21, 2016

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