Could the cancer itself be causing some chemobrain effects?
Yes. It could be an inflammatory response, where your body knows that something is wrong — just as your body knows something is wrong when it has a virus. And some cancers secrete things that could cause symptoms. Or you might have an autoimmune response to the cancer. People will tell me that they felt funny before their cancer was diagnosed, they couldn’t put their finger on it, but something just wasn’t right. Q: Where would you like to see the research go? A: Right now there is a lot of new animal work that is being done, and it is very exciting. It is looking at the precise mechanisms by which these agents cause problems, even if they don’t cross the blood-brain barrier. And we know tht some of these agents certainly can influence the blood-brain barrier. This research will eventually lead us to targeted treatment and to ways to prevent symptoms. The ultimate goal is that you don’t have [chemobrain] symptoms to begin with.
