What do you know about the chemo brain?
Oncology patients who undergo chemotherapy often find themselves in poor memory, and some ridicule themselves for having only seven seconds to remember like fish. Is it really related to chemotherapy? Many are familiar with the negative effects common to chemotherapy, such as nausea, vomiting, hair loss, white cell decline and so on, while ignoring cognitive disorders. In 1983, for the first time, a scholar, Silberfarb, introduced “Cognitive Disorders Related to Cancer Chemotherapy”, specifically referring to cognitive changes occurring in patients with malignant tumours during or after chemotherapy, commonly referred to as “chemical brain” or “misty brain”.
Cognitive functions encompass a number of dimensions, such as memory, attention, sensory ability, computational ability, logical thinking, problem solving, language expression, and their blurry or reduction are referred to as “cognitive function disorders”. For example, the small things that have been done are often forgotten, the words that are often forgotten do not allow for a complete dialogue, the attention that is not focused on learning, the simple work that now takes longer to complete, etc.
But chemotherapy isn’t the only one responsible. There are many accomplices. Some patients also have cognitive problems even without chemotherapy, some show some cognitive difficulties after hormonal treatment and others after surgery. The term “cancer brain” has been gradually changed. The causes of the “cancer brain” are numerous and often co-exist. Cancer itself, anti-tumour treatment (e.g., chemotherapy, treatment, hormonals), steroids or painkillers (especially opioids), treatment of mental anxiety, stress and depression, fatigue or sleep
These are common risk factors that cause `cancer brain’.
Although “cancer brain” cannot be prevented at present, oncological patients can fully learn to respond proactively. Persons suffering from cognitive disorders must first inform the doctor and their family and seek help. Lower self-requirement, one thing at a time, notes and memos in advance. Appropriate exercise, good sleep and active brain training will help to improve or delay cognitive disorders. It is important not to interrupt or abandon the normative treatment of tumours out of fear of being “dick” and to believe that, while tumour treatment is being rehabilitated, cognitive disorders will be gradually reduced.
Breast cancer
