Post-Chemotherapy Cognitive Impairment Diagnosis and Treatment

What Is Post-Chemotherapy Cognitive Impairment

Post-chemotherapy cognitive impairment or PCCI is also known as chemotherapy-induced cognitive

dysfunction or chemo brain for the layperson. Such term is being used to describe the cognitive
impairment of difficulties being experienced by any individual suffering from cancer or undergoing a
chemotherapy treatment. It may be experienced during or even after the chemotherapy sessions.

According to experts, around 2030% of cancer patients who undergo chemotherapy may experience
particular degree or manifestations of chemo brain symptoms. The said observation of cognitive
impairment first came to light after some breast cancer patients exhibited changes in memory, fluency,
and other cognitive abilities.

Their usual way of doing things was either disrupted, interrupted, or mitigated by the mental decline.
Thus, concluding that chemotherapy and other cancer related factors may affect mental activity of the
brain both on short-term or long-term period.

Diagnosis

Since there is no clear definition of what post-chemotherapy cognitive impairment or chemo brain really
is, the test for its diagnosis still remains elusive. There is still no definite test, for some cancer survivors
during memory or cognitive tests would have a normal score on some parts of the test.

However, your doctor upon his or her suggestion would recommend blood tests, brain scans or any
specific test to rule out memory problems. However, in most cases when no specific or apparent cause
identified, physicians would normally recommend for specialists or therapist to help you cope with the
memory changes being experienced.

Treatment

In connection to the lack of definite test or procedure to help identify chemo brain, treatment of the
cognitive impairment likewise varies, no cure yet identified. In most cases, treatments are focused more
on coping with the symptoms rather than a cure for the condition.

Up to now, there is still no standard treatment being developed for cancer related cognitive issues, since
symptoms may be different from one person to another. And here below are some of the most common
coping mechanisms devised to aid chemo brain patients.
 Memory and Thinking Exercises

There are some repetitive mental exercises that an individual suffering from chemo brain or
cognitive impairment could try to help their brain repair broken circuits. This may include puzzles,
board games, and other mentally challenging activities.

Medications & Supplementations

Although there is still no cure for chemo brain, it does not mean that one cannot mitigate or even
obliterates its symptoms. There some medications being prescribed similar to the drugs being
used for ADHD patients. Moreover, some supplements that develop memory functions may also
be used to address cognitive impairments.

Alternative Approaches

Apart from the usual medications, there are also some alternative approaches that chemo brain
patients may try. One may try to use some herbs and other natural products, while others may
also try to bodywork approaches like reflexology and massage therapies.

The ones highlighted above are some of the basic things one should know regarding post-chemotherapy
cognitive impairment or chemo brain. However, in order to be more precise with the steps to take, it
would be better to consult first with your cancer health care team for guidance.