Memory Problems After Chemo Linked to Brain Changes
Breast cancer survivors who had chemotherapy show changes in brain activity during multitasking chores, according to a new Belgian study.
These findings may partly explain the phenomenon dubbed “chemo brain.” For years, people who’ve had chemotherapy have reported changes in thinking and memory, especially when doing more than one thing at once.
"Before you can fix a problem, you need to know what the problem is. And this study demonstrates what the problem may be. It’s a really good first step to understanding the what. Now we need to understand the why and how to fix it," said Dr. Courtney Vito, a breast surgeon and assistant clinical professor of surgical oncology at the City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center in Duarte, Calif. Vito was not involved in the current study, but reviewed the study’s findings.
In her experience, Vito said, women tend to be affected more by chemo brain than are men after chemotherapy. However, she said, ”women tend to multitask more, so this might explain part of it.”
The new study was published online May 27 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
