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Which medications cause chemo brain?

Page last modified on: December 3, 2008
Question from Terp: Which chemotherapy drugs are most likely to cause chemo brain?
Answers —Christina Meyers, Ph.D., A.B.P.P.: I would have to say we don't know enough. There are a number of agents that have been tested in animal models, and they all show something but there is really no basis for comparison.
George Sledge, M.D.: The other issue is it's rare for us to treat a woman in the adjuvant setting with just one chemotherapy agent. It's common for a woman to receive several drugs at once.
Christina Meyers, Ph.D., A.B.P.P.: I'm not sure it even matters, because cancers come across various drugs so I look at patients with leukemia, prostate cancers, etc. — all different cancers with different drugs, and they all may have chemo brain symptoms.
George Sledge, M.D.: High doses of drugs may give you more effects than a lower dose of the drugs, but again that doesn't tell us which drug. And a question we haven't looked at is whether regimens that are being administered for shorter periods of time are different from regimens for a longer time.

On Wednesday, October 15, 2008, our Ask-the-Expert Online Conference was called Managing Chemo Brain. Christina Meyers, Ph.D., A.B.P.P. and George Sledge, M.D. answered your questions about how long chemo brain can last, what treatments can be helpful, and current research on cognitive effects of breast cancer treatment.

The materials presented in these conferences do not necessarily reflect the views of breastcancer.org. A qualified healthcare professional should be consulted before using any therapeutic product or regimen discussed. All readers should verify all information and data before employing any therapies described here.

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Meet the Experts

Christina Meyers, Ph.D., A.B.P.P. is a board certified neuropsychologist. She created the Neuropsychology Service in the newly formed Department of Neuro-Oncology at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in 1984.

George Sledge, M.D.George Sledge, M.D. is the Ballvé-Lantero Professor of Oncology at Indiana University at Indianapolis, where he co-directs Indiana University Simon Cancer Center's Breast Cancer Program.

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