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Cognitive functioning affected by chemotherapy
Deprez S. J Clin Oncol. 2011;doi:10.1200/JCO.2011.36.8571.
A group of breast cancer survivors who underwent screening of white matter had significant impairment to cognitive functioning post-chemotherapy compared with prior to treatment, according to the results of a longitudinal study.
Prior research has indicated that chemotherapy may have an effect on the brain through several pathways, one of which is by altering white matter microstructure.
White matter "mediates communication among different brain regions and its integrity is important for optimal brain function," according to background information in the study.
In this study, the researchers measured white matter integrity before and after chemotherapy using diffusion tensor imaging in a group of 34 premenopausal women with early-stage breast cancer. All women were scheduled to undergoing chemotherapy. Measurements were taken at baseline and three to four months post-treatment. These women then were compared with women with breast cancer who were not undergoing chemotherapy, as well as a group of healthy controls.
Tests indicated that those women treated with chemotherapy had decreases in brain functioning revolving around attention and concentration, psychomotor speed and memory three to four months post-treatment compared with baseline (P<.05). In addition, these women had more problems with distraction, names and word finding, and scores on the Cognitive Failure Questionnaire.
Imaging tests showed that women who had undergone treatment with chemotherapy had significant decreases in white matter functional anisotropy in frontal, parietal and occipital regions post-chemotherapy (P<.05).
"More research is needed to determine whether the detected chemotherapy-induced white matter changes are reversible or whether there is long-term or even delayed white matter damage," the researchers wrote.
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