Chemotherapy and memory loss

Does chemo affect your memory? How can you manage memory changes from chemotherapy? How much weight can you lose on chemotherapy? Evidence has been building that cancer chemotherapy can impair memory for at least a few years after treatment. If you are having memory problems and trouble focusing on tasks, finding words or managing daily activities, you are not alone.

These are examples of symptoms of “chemobrain,” a possible side effect of chemotherapy that can affect cognitive or thinking abilities.

Memory Problems - Memory Loss and Chemotherapy. Description: Memory is the ability for you to recall or remember information. But many cancer survivors who have undergone chemotherapy treatments have shown signs of mild memory loss and daily forgetfulness, which is coined as the term, “ chemo brain. Some chemotherapy ( chemo ) treatments have been linked to problems with memory , learning, and thinking.

This particular chemo side effect is often referred to as chemo brain. Whether you have memory or concentration problems (sometimes described as a mental fog or chemo brain) depends on the type of treatment you receive, your age, and other health-related factors. Cancer treatments such as chemotherapy may cause difficulty with thinking, concentrating, or remembering.

If your memory loss is a side effect of breast cancer treatment, try the following tips to help stimulate your memory : Exercise your brain by keeping mentally active with word puzzles, reading, and any other activity that makes you think. Chemo brain affects everyday life for many people with cancer.

Delirium may occur suddenly during treatment. Dementia due to cancer treatment comes on gradually over time and usually after treatment is completed. Learn what might cause it, how long it will last, and what to do about it. Cancer and cancer treatment often cause a variety of side effects.

Relieving these side effects is an important part of cancer care and may be called palliative care or supportive care. Hair loss is perhaps the most infamous side effect of chemo treatments. Many chemotherapy drugs affect hair follicles and can cause hair loss within a few weeks of the first treatment. What is short-term memory loss ? You may forget new facts, people’s names, where things have been put, and what to do next.

Remember that forgetfulness can be a normal part of everyday life and does not always mean you have short-term memory loss. Until very recently, these cognitive side effects were often dismissed as the byproduct of fatigue, depression, and anxiety related to cancer diagnosis and treatment. Short-term memory loss is a problem that can happen due to.

During chemotherapy treatments, you may notice memory or thinking changes, sometimes referred to as chemobrain. Chemobrain affects your cognitive or thinking abilities including: memory , attention, concentration, word finding or retrieval, multi-tasking, learning, and sense of direction. Since then I have experienced short term memory loss and it gets worse by the week. There are times that I am engaged in a conversation and I have to stop talking mid sentence because I forget what I was talking about.

Memory loss can be caused by a variety of diseases and conditions that may worsen if left untreated. Medical Examination A medical exam for memory loss will include a complete medical history.

These are some of the cognitive problems documented in a new study of men following chemotherapy for testicular cancer. Advanced brain scans revealed how the neural network is impaired by chemotherapy. This is a newer term defined as “ Memory loss , particularly short term memory loss , as a result of chemotherapy.

Some describe it as brain fog or difficulty staying concentrated on one particular thing. Short-Term Memory Loss and Cancer Short-Term Memory Loss and Cancer The information in this factsheet will help you understand more about short-term memory loss and cancer. We hope it some of your questions about this symptom, what causes it, what are the signs and how it can be helped.

The condition is sometimes called chemo brain or chemo fog. Radiation therapy can cause memory loss. Here are a few tips to help manage memory loss : 1) exercise your brain by keeping mentally active.

Post- chemotherapy cognitive impairment (PCCI) (also known in the scientific community as CRCIs or Chemotherapy -Related Cognitive Impairments and in lay terms as chemotherapy -induced cognitive dysfunction or impairment, chemo brain, or chemo fog) describes the cognitive impairment that can result from chemotherapy treatment. Adjuvant chemotherapy in women with breast cancer may be associated with deteriorations in memory , and this loss may persist over time. Cancer- and chemotherapy - related cognitive impairment is an important clinical problem that negatively impacts quality of life for many individuals during treatment and post-treatment.

We have reviewed various topics relevant to the cognition and cancer field and highlighted important areas for future research.