Not uncommonly, women who undergo radiation and/or chemotherapy memory and thinking (cognitive) problems. The condition is often referred to as chemo brain. UCLA researchers have uncovered a scientific basis for the problem. Understanding its cause may lead to methods to reduce the disorder. The results of the study were published online on April 18 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
The research team was led by Dr. Patricia Ganz, director of cancer prevention and control research at the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, professor of health policy and management at the Fielding School of Public Health, and professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine. The researchers have found a statistically significant association between neuropsychological (NP) test performance and memory complaints in post-treatment, early stage breast cancer patients. In addition, patient-reported memory difficulties were also associated with having received chemotherapy and radiation (chemo + RT), as well as symptoms related to depression.
The study authors note that their study is one of the first to show that patient complaints of cognitive problems after breast cancer treatment are associated with NP test performance. The study group comprised 189 breast cancer patients who were enrolled about one month after completing initial treatments with surgerywith or without radiation and/or chemotherapyand before the start of hormone (endocrine) therapy, if planned. A major focus of the study was to examine how much hormone therapy contributes to memory and thinking problems in breast cancer survivors, and this pre-hormone therapy assessment was able to separate the effects of initial treatments on these problems. Earlier post-treatment studies of breast cancer patients were difficult to interpret because they included women already taking hormone therapy.
The investigators note that cognitive complaints are common after breast cancer treatments, and earlier research has not identified a consistent association with NP testing abnormalities. More often these complaints were associated with anxiety and depressive symptoms, limiting confidence that chemo brain reflected a cancer treatment toxicity. In this study, women with serious depressive symptoms were excluded, and the researchers also took careful account of the cancer treatments used and whether or not menopause and hormonal changes could be influencing the cognitive complaints. Even though these patients reported subtle changes in their memory and thinking, the NP testing showed detectable differences.
The study group was matched with age-matched healthy women as a comparison (control) group. The women completed a questionnaire regarding cognitive problems. The investigators found that 23.3% of the breast cancer patients had higher memory complaints and 19% reported higher executive function complaints after breast cancer treatments. Dr. Ganz noted, In the past, many researchers said that we cant rely on patients self-reported complaints or that they are just depressed because previous studies could not find this association between NP testing and cognitive complaints. In this study, we were able to look at specific components of the cognitive complaints and found they were associated with relevant NP function test abnormalities. As we provide additional reports on the follow-up testing in these women, we will track their recovery from treatment as well as determine whether hormone therapy contributes to worsening complaints over time.
UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center comprises more than 240 researchers and clinicians engaged in disease research, prevention, detection, control, treatment and education. One of the nation's largest comprehensive cancer centers, the Jonsson center is dedicated to promoting research and translating basic science into leading-edge clinical studies. In July 2012, the Jonsson Cancer Center was once again named among the nations top 10 cancer centers by U.S. News & World Report, a ranking it has held for 12 of the last 13 years. For more information on the Jonsson Cancer Center, click on this link.
UCLA Medical and Research Achievements
www.uclahealth.org/body.cfm?id=26UCLA Health Sciences Medical and Research Achievements ... 2011. Surgeons at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center performed the first hand transplant in the
May 07, 2013 - Daily Dose - HealthCentral.com - Trusted, Reliable ...
www.healthcentral.com Daily DoseA new treatment just may make gray hair a thing of the past. A team of European researchers has figured out how to counteract the natural build up of hydrogen ...
Breast Cancer Patients Need Better Cardiology Care - The Breast ...
thebreastcancersite.greatergood.com/.../Breast-Cancer-Patients-Need...University of Michigan and others are working to make doctors more aware of the need to monitor for heart problems.
UCLA researchers discover why breast cancer patients have memory ...
www.examiner.com/article/ucla-researchers-discover-why-breast...Apr 18, 2013 Not uncommonly, women who undergo radiation and/or chemotherapy memory and thinking (cognitive) problems. The condition is often referred to as
Animal research generates new treatments, benefits society / UCLA ...
newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/animal-generates-new-treatments...UCLA studies utilizing mice were the basis for human clinical trials in patients with metastatic breast cancer. This led to the breakthrough breast cancer medication ...
Health, fitness and medical advice - Home
www.newsmaxhealth.comHeartburn and heart attack have very similar similar symptoms that can make it difficult to determine when chest pain is serious enough to warrant a trip to the hospital.
EATING CANNABIS OIL CURES CANCER AND ALL HEALTH PROBLEMS
www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwBs_ihArc1lCYDym-DH4EsDMR_UMTtA6*SHARE THIS LINK WITH EVERYONE!!!* YOUTUBE.COM/GREENLIFE711 ^ *Main page for more info* ^ ...
News on Yahoo! Health
health.yahoo.net/newsTop health news stories, events, findings, information and research on Yahoo! Health
UCLA
www.ucla.eduAdmissions Careers Academics SportsUCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) is the largest UC campus in terms of enrollment, and one of the few public research universities located in a major city.
Cancer news, articles and information: - Natural health news
www.naturalnews.com/cancer.htmlMichael Douglas may be a cunning linguist, but his cancer explanations still make no sense 6/6/2013 - With his recent declaration that he "got cancer" by performing ...
Cancer Research Hospital and Cancer Treatment City of Hope,
www.cityofhope.orgCareers Contact Us Find a Doctor Become a Patient DirectoryOn our park-like campus just northeast of Los Angeles, City of Hope cancer research hospital brings groundbreaking cancer and diabetes research and compassionate
Science Daily: News & Articles in Science, Health, Environment ...
www.sciencedaily.comArticles Top Science Stories Health & Medicine Plants & AnimalsBreaking science news and articles on global warming, extrasolar planets, stem cells, bird flu, autism, nanotechnology, dinosaurs, evolution -- the latest discoveries ...
Undergraduate Research Center - Sciences SRP Research
www.ugresearchsci.ucla.edu Contact UsThis page is updated daily. Summer Session A contracts are due: Friday, July 5, 2013 at 5 pm Please note that our office will be closed Thursday, July 4
Alternative Cancer Treatments
www.howcurecancer.comIntroduction . Every year, approximately 1.2 million Americans are diagnosed with cancer and 560,000 die of the disease. In America, 1 of every 2 men and 1 ...
Is Sugar Toxic? - NYTimes.com
www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/magazine/mag-17Sugar-t.htmlApr 13, 2011 That it makes us fat is something we take for granted. That it might also be making us sick is harder to accept.
Health news - latimes.com - Los Angeles Times - California ...
www.latimes.com/healthThe Los Angeles Times provides the lastest health news coverage. Keep up to date with breaking health research, healthcare, fitness and nutrition news.
Treatment news, articles and information: - Natural health news
www.naturalnews.com/treatment.htmlHerbal flu prevention and flu treatment remedies 1/21/2013 - Herbs can soothe the coughs and pain of the flu. Taking these herbs daily during flu season can build ...
Underground Health Reporter Little-Known Discoveries that Make
www.undergroundhealthreporter.com/uhrWhy These Health Breakthroughs are Deliberately Kept Secret from the Public The single best source of "underground" discoveries that can heal
American Cancer Society Information and Resources for Cancer ...
www.cancer.orgDonate Employment Opportunities Contact UsAmerican Cancer Society. The official sponsor of birthdays. Get information on cancer, how to stay healthy, find support and treatment, explore research, get involved ...
The Vitamin C Foundation - China-free Vitamin C Source
www.vitamincfoundation.orgInternet's best collection of useful information about Vitamin C. Non Profit Vitamin C Foundation preserves and sponsors research on ascorbic acid or vitamin C
Topic Galleries -- CTnow - CTnow.com - Connecticut News ...
www.ctnow.com/topicTopic galleries provide easy access to stories and photos about people, places, organizations, events and subjects of interest to you. They bring together rich ...
Blog - ACSH - Home - ACSHACSH - American Council on
www.acsh.org/blogA very large retrospective analysis performed by researchers affiliated with Kaiser-Permanente Northern California (KPNC) has confirmed what numerous prior studies ...
Health News & Articles Healthy Living - ABC News
abcnews.go.com/healthGet the latest health news from Dr. Richard Besser. Here you'll find stories about new medical research, the latest health care trends and health issues that affect ...
Medicine Articles - Find Medicine Related Articles on
www.articlesbase.com HealthFind Medicine articles at ArticlesBase.com a free articles directory. Submit your articles for free distribution and find Medicine content for your website, Ezine or ...
0 comments:
Post a Comment