There is conflicting evidence on whether chemotherapy increases a person's chances of developing dementia. Additional research is necessary to determine whether chemotherapy may increase a person's risk of dementia. Chemotherapy can cause a person to develop short-term cognitive issues. Rarely do they become long-term.
Overview. Chemo brain is a common term used by cancer survivors to describe thinking and memory problems that can occur during and after cancer treatment. Chemo brain can also be called chemo fog, cancer-related cognitive impairment or cognitive dysfunction.
Often referred to as cancer-related cognitive impairment, chemo brain can be marked by severe memory problems, a lack of mental sharpness, and what many people who experience it describe as “mental fog.” The chemotherapy drug cisplatin is commonly linked to chemo brain.
As cancer treatments continue to improve, more patients are surviving cancer. However, treatment-related complications, such as cognitive impairment, are becoming increasingly prevalent. Recent research suggests a link between cancer and dementia.
Research has shown that chemotherapy drugs such as doxorubicin promote neurotoxicity and cognitive disturbances. Critically, some studies demonstrated that dementia occurs more commonly in cancer patients who had chemotherapy treatment compared to individuals never exposed to chemotherapy.
Learning, memory, and attention difficulties.
Chemotherapy and high-dose radiation therapy to the head and other areas of the body may cause cognitive problems for adults and children. Cognitive problems occur when a person has trouble processing information. Talk with your doctor if you experience any of these issues.
Chemo brain can impact your memory, concentration and ability to problem solve for several months after chemotherapy has ended – even up to a year.
For some people having treatment, dementia symptoms may get worse temporarily. For others, this change may be permanent. The doctor or nurse can give you more information and support before you and the person you care for decide if they will have treatment.
The greatest known risk factor for Alzheimer's and other dementias is increasing age, but these disorders are not a normal part of aging. While age increases risk, it is not a direct cause of Alzheimer's. Most individuals with the disease are 65 and older. After age 65, the risk of Alzheimer's doubles every five years.
Medications that have been associated with increased risk of dementia include overactive bladder medications, pain medications, heartburn medications, and certain anxiety medications. The risk of dementia with these medications increases when you take higher doses over longer time periods.
Does chemobrain ever go away? For most patients, chemobrain improves within 9-12 months after completing chemotherapy, but many people still have symptoms at the six-month mark. A smaller fraction of people (approximately 10-20%) may have long-term effects.
Doxorubicin is considered one of the strongest chemotherapy drugs for breast cancer ever invented.
Chemotherapy brain fog (chemo brain) happens when coping with cancer or cancer treatment affects your ability to remember and act on information. Usually, chemotherapy brain fog is a short-term issue, but some people may have symptoms for months after they've finished treatment.
Cognitive changes include problems with memory, concentration and how a person can think. Your doctor might call this cancer related cognitive impairment. These changes are also sometimes called chemo brain or chemo fog because they were originally thought to be due to chemotherapy.
You may have heard about “chemo brain.” Chemo brain is a term used to describe thinking and memory problems that may happen during and after cancer treatment. Emotional and mental health challenges such as depression, anxiety, stress, and having trouble sleeping can add to that foggy feeling.
Rapidly progressive dementias (RPDs) are dementias that progress quickly, typically over the course of weeks to months, but sometimes up to two to three years. RPDs are rare and often difficult to diagnose. Early and accurate diagnosis is very important because many causes of RPDs can be treated.
Signs that a person's cancer is not responding to chemotherapy include: a tumor growing or not shrinking. cancer spreading to other areas of the body, a process called metastasis. cancer symptoms returning.
Summary: A commonly used chemotherapy drug causes healthy brain cells to die off long after treatment has ended and may be one of the underlying biological causes of the cognitive side effects -- or "chemo brain" -- that many cancer patients experience.
Chemotherapy and radiation therapy can cause long-term side effects to the brain, spinal cord, and nerves. These include: Hearing loss from high doses of chemotherapy, especially drugs like cisplatin (multiple brand names) Increased risk of stroke from high doses of radiation to the brain.
Here are some examples of what patients with chemo brain may experience: Forgetting things that they usually have no trouble remembering (memory lapses) Trouble concentrating (they can't focus on what they're doing, have a short attention span, may easily “space out”)