Chemotherapy Induced Cognitive Impairment
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Inflammatory and Neural Correlates of Chemotherapy-Induced Cognitive Impairment: A pilot study
IRAS ID
313109
Contact name
Gordon Waiter
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Aberdeen
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 11 months, 30 days
Research summary
Chemotherapy is toxic and challenges everyone differently. Most chemotherapy side-effects are known and well documented. However, the phenomenon of “chemo fog” also known as “chemobrain” has not been fully investigated and is often based on comments of breast cancer patients attending outpatient clinics during and after their chemotherapy. Changes in thinking ability like lack of concentration, loss of memory and the inability to
hold a thought or even a conversation has a significant impact on the lives of breast cancer patients. Without understanding what “chemobrain” is, and what causes it, there is little that doctors can do to help at the moment.
The team proposing this study believe that chemotherapy causes chemicals associated with inflammation to attack parts of the brain that are important for concentration and making new memories. Unfortunately, it is not possible to measure these chemicals directly in the brain, but we believe that a brain scan sensitive to excess iron,
a marker of brain inflammation, can help. This project will measure thinking ability, such as memory and concentration, take a blood sample and do a brain scan before, during and after a patient has chemotherapy. We will then look for changes in iron in the brain areas that are important for concentration and memory and compare
those to changes in thinking ability and to levels of inflammation chemicals in the blood. This information will be essential to help plan our next step which is to test ways to reduce the effects of “chemobrain”.REC name
London - Harrow Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/PR/0924
Date of REC Opinion
8 Sep 2022
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion