Insights

JANUARY 13, 2009

“Chemo Brain” after Cancer Therapy:  What is it?  What is it Not?

Patricia Ganz, MD & Eve Maremont, MD

Where are my keys?  What was that phone number?  My brain feels so foggy…. I just can’t concentrate….. Comments like these are common complaints by individuals during and after chemotherapy.  There has been greater discussion about these symptoms and are often referred to as “Chemo Brain.”    There is a growing interest in understanding these symptoms and what impact chemotherapy has on the brain.  Researchers have started using imaging for clues and there is a growing body of research on this topic, with still more work to be done.  Dr. Ganz and Dr. Maremont discuss the current state of knowledge about these symptoms, potential strategies for management including ruling out and treating other conditions that may enhance the effects of treatment related as well as other causes of symptoms such as depression that should be treated.

Patricia Ganz, MD, is a Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology/Oncology at the David Geffen School of Medicine and Professor of Health Services as well as the Director of the Division of Cancer Prevention and Control Research at UCLA’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.  Dr. Ganz is a medical oncologist and active researcher in the field of quality of life and survivorship issues and developed UCLA’s LiveSTRONG™ Center for Excellence for Cancer Survivors. Dr. Ganz is also an American Cancer Society Clinical Research Professor.  Dr. Ganz has a keen interest in all areas of survivorship and the short and long term effects of cancer therapies on individuals treated for cancer.

Eve Maremont, MD, is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.  She holds certification by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in the specialty of Psychiatry and the sub-specialty of Psychosomatic Medicine.  In 2008 she joined the Simms/Mann – UCLA Center for Integrative Oncology to provide more comprehensive and integrated care for individuals managing a variety of symptoms who may benefit from medication evaluation and follow-up.  She is interested in the range of difficulties facing individuals during and after a cancer diagnosis and treatment.