Cancer not chemo linked to cognitive decline

Almost half of all bowel cancer survivors experience memory loss and have difficulty with multitasking and concentration, according to research published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
The longitudinal cohort study assessed the impact of the disease and its treatments on cognitive function in hundreds of bowel cancer patients against healthy controls, making it the largest of its kind ever conducted.
The research was a continuation of an ongoing study developed to monitor cognitive symptoms, fatigue, anxiety, depression and quality of life during the patients' bowel cancer journeys.
The study revealed patients are up to three times more likely to suffer cognitive impairment than those living without cancer and the diagnosis of even localised cancer is related to substantial rates of sustained memory loss.
High rates of cognitive impairment were evident even before patients received chemotherapy, with 43 per cent of those living with bowel cancer showing signs of cognitive impairment as compared to only 15 per cent of the healthy controls.
Patients remained three times more likely to have memory and concentration difficulties the following year, even when no trace of bowel cancer was evident in their bodies.
Although the cause of the decline was not identified, findings suggest the cognitive impairment in bowel cancer patients lasts for at least two years after diagnosis.
Investigators say future studies will focus on the underlying mechanisms and methods for prevention and treatment of cognitive impairment.
In the meantime, researchers suggest physical activity may help to preserve and protect cognitive function in bowel cancer patients and cancer survivors, as might brain training exercises.
Check out the Nutrition + Lifestyle Challenge by Bowel Cancer Australia for a complete list of physical exercises and other great health tips.
This article was originally published by Bowel Cancer Australia. Read the original article.
Reference:
Cognitive Function in Patients with Colorectal Cancer Who Do and Do Not Receive Chemotherapy: A Prospective, Longitudinal, Controlled Study JCO.2015.63.0905; published online on November 2, 2015;http://jco.ascopubs.org/content/early/2015/10/26/JCO.2015.63.0905.abstract