For many years, clinicians dismissed the problems of memory, attention, and information processing in cancer survivors following their diagnosis and treatment. Turns out, cognitive decline does occur in cancer patients after initiation of chemotherapy. This decrease in mental sharpness, especially relating to memory and finishing tasks is described as chemobrain.
Symptoms associated with chemobrain Trouble in concentrating or focusing Trouble in multi-tasking Trouble with judgment or reasoning Slower thinking and processing Trouble with word retrieval Causes Currently, the root cause of chemobrain is unclear. However, researchers have hypothesized that following incidences could result in cognitive dysfunction: Neuronal injury with inadequate repair Abnormal brain modeling and corresponding neuroendocrine immunologic changes Increased infiltration of cytotoxic agents due to alterations…
