“Chemo Brain” has become recognized as a possible direct result of cancer treatment. Studies are being conducted to try and learn how “Chemo Brain” is caused and what can be done about it. Scientist and doctors are trying to figure out which types of chemotherapy drugs and other treatments cause “Chemo Brain” and they are working on ways to prevent this reaction to the cancer treatments available. Factors such as the doses of chemotherapy and the genetic differences of the patients that lead to “Chemo Brain” are being closely looked in hopes of finding a way to help patients avoid the condition.
While it is still early, there are definite paths that researchers are taking to find ways to prevent “Chemo Brain” in the future. Some of the research has shown that there is some solid evidence that some types of chemotherapy may cause nerve damage. This discovery has lead to an increase of studies on how chemotherapy affects and, in some cases, damages the brain. The research is also trying to find out how to keep the same level of cognitive function and maintain the same quality of life the patient had before treatment.
Cancer treatment has taken on a more aggressive approach as of late and researchers are studying the effects of higher levels of chemo drugs during the treatment. In addition to this, the research has shown that some of the new drugs used for treatment might actually affect the pathways that are involved in nerve cell formation and stem cell function. Researchers are eager to find out how this happens and which cells are actually affected so they can develop medicines to counter act it.
Research is being done now that is trying to find the drugs that only kill the cancer cells and leave all the other healthy cells alone. If they can do this, they may have found a way to prevent “Chemo Brain”. But while there is still the problem of “Chemo Brain” researchers are trying the medicines that are used for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, depression, and dementia to see if any of those work on the symptoms of “Chemo Brain”.
To try and find a cure, researchers are leaving no stone unturned. They are looking into the genetic make-up of people to see if genetics are the cause of “Chemo Brain”. They are focusing on one gene in particular called, APOE. Studies have proven that a form of this gene, E4, is present in people with Alzheimer’s. They are now focusing on those patients who have the E4 form of APOE to see if they have a higher risk of suffering from long term “Chemo Brain”
Researchers have done an incredible job in just finding out about “Chemo Brain” and then coming up with treatments that may help it. Now what they want to know is how does it affect a patient’s brain and what changed does it cause? Finding these answers would help tremendously in the fight to find a cure for “Chemo Brain”.