The author, Dr. Chimnaya Kumar Pani, Oncologist at Apollo 24|7, is a well-known medical oncologist in Bhubaneshwar. He is an expert in treating solid tumours, osteosarcoma, Ewing’s sarcoma, haematolymphoid malignancy, giant cell tumour, and gastrointestinal cancers. As a cancer specialist, he has experience dealing with these conditions at different stages and grades.
Chemo brain is a term used to describe memory and thinking problems that occur after and during cancer treatment. Also referred to as cancer-related cognitive impairment, chemo fog, and cancer-related cognitive dysfunction, chemo brain is one of the most frustrating and concerning side effects of cancer and its treatment. It can considerably impact your everyday life and can even cause you to avoid activities that you used to enjoy.
Symptoms of Chemo Brain
There are many symptoms and signs of chemo brain. These include:
- Confusion
- Being unusually disorganised
- Difficulty concentrating
- Difficulty learning new things
- Mental fogginess
- Difficulty multitasking
- Short attention span
- Taking longer to complete day-to-day tasks
- Short-term memory problems
- Trouble with visual memory, like recalling a list of words or an image
- Trouble with verbal memory, like recalling a conversation
Usually, these symptoms don’t last long. However, in some cases, they can lead to delayed or long-term mental changes. How long it lasts, how much it affects a person, and when it starts can be different for each patient.
What Causes Chemo Brain?
Most commonly associated with chemotherapy, chemo brain can also occur with other treatments like surgery, radiation, and hormone therapy. All of these treatments can lead to long-term, short-term, or delayed cognitive problems. There are certain things that can make you more susceptible to developing chemo brain or deteriorating brain function. These risk factors include:
- Drugs used for treatment like anti-nausea, pain medicines, or steroids
- Chronic illnesses or conditions like hypertension or diabetes
- Emotional distress like anxiety or depression
- Old age
- Use of anaesthesia
- Hormone treatments or hormonal changes
- Infections
- Post-menopause
- Alcohol or the use of other substances
- Nutritional deficiencies
How to Manage the Symptoms of Chemo Brain?
If you experience any cognitive problem, then it is highly advisable to see your doctor immediately. It’s possible that chemo might not even be the cause. Your doctor will figure out the underlying cause and recommend an effective treatment plan. To alleviate these mental challenges, it’s essential to address issues like increased anxiety, poor sleeping patterns, and vitamin deficiencies.
Even if your cognitive issues are caused by chemo, there are several measures you can take to manage the symptoms. You can seek the help of a professional neuropsychologist, who can provide you with a treatment plan to help you cope with the symptoms. These treatment plans can include:
- Exercises to train the brain
There are several thinking and memory exercises that can help your brain remember things and resolve confusion.
- Tracking and determining factors affecting your memory
Carefully monitoring memory problems can help in identifying the most effective ways to manage them. For example, if you are more easily distracted when you feel tired or hungry, then you can perform the tasks that require extra focus while you are completely full and alert.
- Using coping strategies
You can learn new strategies and ways of doing day-to-day tasks to help you focus better. For example, your doctor can help you record conversations so that you can memorise and recall those later.
- Stress-relief techniques
Your memory problems can worsen due to stress. Therefore, your doctors can ask you to practise some relaxation techniques such as mindfulness exercises and progressive muscle relaxation. Such exercises can help you cope with stress, thereby improving your symptoms.
If you feel like you are experiencing the symptoms of chemo brain, then talk to your doctor right away.
