This shocking chemotherapy side effect can last for decades

All in your head

When it comes to chemo, we all evolve.

Many years ago (more like decades, actually) I assumed chemotherapy was a cure.

But like all of us, as time went by, I was distraught to see the horrible effects of chemo on family and friends.

Eventually, I realized that it’s a treatment, not a cure. In fact, the number of chemo-responsive cancers is surprisingly small. And too often, doctors give chemo inappropriately to patients who don’t need it.

More recently, we’ve come to understand that chemo can cause secondary cancers. And new evidence shows that it may even cause some cancers to grow faster.

Can it get any worse?

It can. But don’t expect to hear it from your doctor. He might not even know about the condition some patients call “chemobrain.”

Brain drain

Chemobrain is more formally known as “post-chemotherapy cognitive impairment.” Dr. Spreen recently sent me a tip sheet on how to talk to your doctor about PCCI.

I’ll let Dr. Spreen describe it…

“They admit the drugs can harm your brain. Then, they tell you (the PATIENT, now) that the DOCTOR may not be familiar with it. And you (again, the PATIENT) will have to educate him (the ONCOLOGIST) about what it is.

“And THEN you’re supposed to ask him what can be done about it!”

Yes, it’s just as ridiculous as Dr. Spreen makes it sound.

The sad thing is that most cancer patients, and many of their doctors, have never heard of this chemo side effect. This is a holdover from the days when doctors told patients that they were just imagining their post-chemo brain fog.

They weren’t imagining.

But it IS “all in your head.”

In 2006, a groundbreaking study used PET scans to prove that chemo poses a risk to cognition. This happens in two ways. After crossing the blood brain barrier, these toxic drugs alter brain metabolism and reduce blood flow in the brain.

Ready for the kicker? Researchers have found measureable adverse cognitive effects more than TWO DECADES after treatment.

Cognitive problems include attention deficit, immediate and delayed verbal memory, and processing speed.

Of course, doctors have thrown all types of drugs at the problem. They’ve tried drugs that treat Alzheimer’s, ADHD, anemia, and narcolepsy. So far, none of them has worked.

But there is one study that shows promise. It will make medical mainstreamers howl. But what I care about is that it’s likely to cause cheers from cancer patients.

I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow.

Sources:
“Doctor, Can We Talk About Chemobrain?” Chemotherapy Advisor, 8/27/12, chemotherapyadvisor.com

“Scientists Find ‘Chemo Brain’ No Figment Of The Imagination” Science Daily, 10/8/06, sciencedaily.com

“‘Chemo brain’ linked to neurobiological mechanism” HemOnc Today, 5/10/12, healio.com