Chemobrain found to be cancer therapy side effect

[n2doc]

Victoria Colliver, Chronicle Staff Writer

Monday, November 21, 2011


Susie Brain always had a strong ability to juggle multiple tasks. But after she underwent intensive chemotherapy for breast cancer in 2004, she found she could no longer do so and eventually quit her job as executive director of a small, environmental nonprofit organization.

"When I finished treatment at the end of that year, I just didn't know what my head was doing. I tried to keep going with my work, but I found I could not," said Brain, now 61, of Palo Alto.

Brain is hardly the first to discover chemotherapy's after-effects.

The condition referred to by patients as "chemobrain" has been noted by many cancer patients before her, and now a recent Stanford University study validates their experiences and previous studies. Memory or cognitive problems following chemotherapy are real, the study concludes.



Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/11/20/MN2H1LV0F3.DTL

[Warpy]

1. I saw that in coworkers but it usually resolved within a year

We all knew to cut them some slack and we all had their backs.

[trotsky]

2. I'd take that over dying from cancer any day.

But we will continue to improve our treatments and I have no doubt that someday, probably within my lifetime, we will be able to cure most cancers.

[stellanoir]

3. I've never seen the word brain employed as a surname.

Struck me as really odd in this context.

Not to belittle the condition at all.

just unusual.

[unblock]

4. yeah, usually it's a misspelled first name (brian)

:hi:

[unblock]

5. put it right up there with "mommy brain" and "dopamax"

fortunately for me, the brain returns after the dopamax wears off.