New research finds no link between the meds and survivors’ cognitive function
FRIDAY, April 22, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Anthracyclines are not related to “chemo brain,” according to a research letter published online April 21 in JAMA Oncology.
Researchers led by Patricia Ganz, M.D., of the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center in Los Angeles, assessed certain cognitive skills — memory, processing speed, and executive function — in breast cancer survivors. Investigators checked in with the women at three months, six months, one year and an average of 4.8 years after the survivors had finished their primary treatment.
According to Ganz’s team, the women’s cognitive skills were similar whether or not they had received anthracycline as part of their chemotherapy. This remained true for up to seven years after treatment.
“In this study, we could not find evidence to support the claim that anthracycline treatment confers greater risk of cognitive decline for breast cancer survivors,” Ganz and colleagues write.
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