Search
post-chemotherapy cognitive impairment
Etiology:
- cognitive impairment that can result from chemotherapy
Epidemiology:
- 20-30% of people who undergo chemotherapy experience some level of post-chemotherapy cognitive impairment
- first noted in women treated with chemotherapy for breast cancer
Clinical manifestations:
- changes in cognition that impair ability to function relative to pre-chemotherapy levels
- visual & semantic memory, attention & motor coordination most affected by chemotherapy
- difficulties multitasking, reading comprehension, following a conversation, & retrieving words
- performance in school &/or work may be affected
Mechanism of action:
- not well understood
- proposed mechanisms
- direct neurotoxic affects of chemotherapy
- hormonal effects on cognition
- factors other than chemotherapy can affect cognition
- menopause
- anesthesia of surgical procedure
- medications prescribed in addition to the chemotherapy
- genetic predisposition
- hormone therapy
- emotional states (including anxiety, depression, fatigue)
- comorbid conditions
- paraneoplastic syndrome
Management:
- probiotics supplementation* during chemotherapy can prevent chemotherapy- related cognitive impairment [2]
* specific formulation of probiotics included 210 mg each of
- Bifidobacterium longum
- Lactobacillus acidophilus
- Enterococcus faecalis
Related
chemotherapy
General
cognitive impairment
References
- Wikipedia: Post-chemotherapy cognitive impairment
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-chemotherapy_cognitive_impairment
- Melville NA
Could Probiotics Reduce 'Chemo Brain' in Breast Cancer Patients?
Medscape January 18, 2022
https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/966739