The Impact of Chemo Brain on the Patient with a High-Grade Glioma

Lucas, Michele R.

doi:10.1007/978-1-4419-6306-2_5

Cited by 5 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…The majority of primary brain tumors are located in the cerebral hemispheres and have an impact on some aspect of intellectual function. Although this may be subtle or unrecognized by the patient, family and treating physician, particularly during the acute phase of diagnosis and early treatment, it may be increasingly apparent in the long-term survivor who attempts to return to work or full level of activity following successful treatment [8].…”

Section: Confounding Factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of chemotherapy on cognitive outcomes in adults with primary brain tumors

Abrey

2012

J Neurooncol

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There is growing recognition that chemotherapy may have short and long term impact on cognitive function of cancer patients. However, the impact of chemotherapy on the cognition of adult patients with primary brain tumor has not been extensively studied. This article will review the evidence for both positive and negative impact of chemotherapy on cognitive function of adult brain tumor patients as well as potential confounding factors.

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Section: Confounding Factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of chemotherapy on cognitive outcomes in adults with primary brain tumors

Abrey

2012

J Neurooncol

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“…Additionally, the tumor and subsequent treatments alter the patient, creating personality changes and/or physical impairments (Lucas, 2010b). These changes affect not only the patient, but the entire family (Kim & Given, 2008, Lucas, 2010a, as their experience becomes one of living with a stranger. Unlike the majority of other cancer patients, patients with brain tumors are generally not able to partner with the caregiver throughout the treatment.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

A Private Caregiver ListServ: Maximum Benefit for Minimum Cost

Lucas

2011

Journal of Psychosocial Oncology

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A private ListServ was created as a psychosocial intervention for the caregivers of the brain tumor patients in a large metropolitan cancer center. Caring for someone with a brain tumor can be quite challenging, and the day-to-day responsibilities restrict the amount of discretionary time allotted the caregiver. Consequently, they can become isolated and overwhelmed. It was conceived that, for convenience sake, a ListServ might be the solution to best serve this population. The hope being that sharing with their peers would lessen the isolation and validate their own experience, decreasing their fear and anxiety. This was all possible for less than a dollar a day.

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“…The total cost is not only direct, because of the consumption of resources for the treatment of symptoms, but also indirect due to loss of productivity. With more patients surviving longer with cancer or beating cancer entirely, CRCI will become an even more important issue in cancer survivorship, emerging as a heavy financial and social burden on society [11][12][13][14][15]. Currently, no treatment is approved for CRCI, and thus research into the understanding and treatment of CRCI needs to keep pace with our improving treatment of cancer.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for the Treatment of Chemo Brain

Kuo,

Chen,

Rodriguez

et al. 2023

Sensors

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This pilot feasibility study aimed to evaluate the effects of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) on chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment (CRCI), and we report here on the first patient. Background: Deleterious cognitive changes due to chemotherapy or CRCI are commonly referred to as “chemo brain”. With the increasing survival of cancer patients, this poorly understood and inadequately treated condition will likewise have an increasing toll on individuals and society. Since there is no approved treatment for chemo brain, we have initiated a therapeutic trial using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), a non-invasive brain stimulation technique approved in many countries for the treatment of neurologic and psychiatric conditions like migraine and depression. Case presentation: A 58-year-old woman, diagnosed 7 years prior with left breast cancer, underwent partial mastectomy with sentinel lymph node biopsy. She then received four cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy followed by radiation therapy. Afterwards, she was on tamoxifen for 4 years and then switched to aromatase inhibitors. The patient’s CRCI started during chemotherapy and severely impaired her quality of life for an additional two years. In the third year after chemotherapy, the CRCI partially cleared to stabilize to the level at the time of presentation for this trial. The patient continues to have memory difficulties and decreased concentration, which makes multi-tasking very difficult to impossible. She is reliant on memory aids at work and at home. The participant underwent 10 consecutive sessions of TMS during weekdays for 2 weeks. Stimulation was directed to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. After TMS, the participant significantly improved in memory function on neuropsychological testing. While she reported no subjective differences in concentration or memory, she did report an improvement in her sleep. Functional magnetic resonance imaging of the brain before and after TMS showed increased resting-state functional connectivity between the stimulation site and several brain regions. Remarkably, after 6 years of chemo brain and remaining in the same position at work due to her inability to concentrate and multi-task, she applied for and received a promotion 5–6 months after her TMS treatments. Conclusions: This first patient in the phase 1 clinical trial testing of TMS for the treatment of “chemo brain” provided important lessons for feasibility and insights into mechanisms of potential benefit.

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The Impact of Chemo Brain on the Patient with a High-Grade Glioma

Cited by 5 publications

References 17 publications

The impact of chemotherapy on cognitive outcomes in adults with primary brain tumors

The impact of chemotherapy on cognitive outcomes in adults with primary brain tumors

A Private Caregiver ListServ: Maximum Benefit for Minimum Cost

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for the Treatment of Chemo Brain

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