by KYW’s Lynne Adkins
A local scientist is studying a condition known as “chemo fog” which can affect cancer patients during and after treatment.
Dr. Ellen Walker, associate professor of pharmacodynamics at Temple University says "chemo fog" is a common side effect:
“It's not like Alzheimer’s; you don't forget who your family members are. It's more like short term memory or working memory, you forget what happened yesterday in this task and how fast you process information it seems to be slower in the worst cases.”
She says the effects on the brain and the ability to function can last years. Walker is trying to determine which drugs or combinations can cause the problems and which patients might be at higher risk; this could help doctors come up with medicines to protect the brain or suggest different chemo drugs to avoid the memory problems.
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