Chemotherapy's impact on a patient's life can be devastating, and doctors are just now beginning to grasp the full scope of these cancer treatments' ramifications. These abnormalities, known as chemo brain, can be difficult to quantify, according to the National Cancer Institute, especially when it comes to neurological and cognitive performance.

Chemo brain was the focus of current NCI research investigating the long-term effects of chemotherapy on breast cancer care packages in the months and years after treatment. Clinicians are becoming increasingly concerned about this issue as the number of cancer survivors in the general population climbs.

Problems with memory, attention, and information processing are the most common symptoms of chemo brain or chemo fog. Patients may express a wide range of symptoms that have an impact on their daily lives but are difficult to identify for medical research. The National Cancer Institute is working to identify people who are most likely to experience cognitive adverse effects after chemotherapy and to assist them cope.

In a new study conducted by Tim Ahles, PhD of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, researchers showed that nearly 17 to 75 percent of people with cancer have a family history of cancer.

Following chemotherapy, around half of breast cancer survivors suffered some cognitive impairment. While the initial focus was on chemotherapy as the reason of the reported cognitive effects, further investigation indicated that the cognitive changes might be induced by chemotherapy or even merely hormone therapy. The possibility of brain damage that the body is unable to repair is also being investigated, though preliminary findings are unclear and the mechanisms involved are unknown.

A UCLA Comprehensive Cancer Center study led by Patricia Ganz, M.D. looked at pairs of twins, one of whom had had chemotherapy and the other had not. The patient's brain had to "work harder" to achieve the same results as the twin who did not receive treatment.

Individuals experiencing chemo brain problems can take ten steps to make life easier, according to the National Cancer Institute:

Multitasking should be avoided.
Get 7 hours of sleep every night and engage in focused one-on-one discussions.
Make yourself a calendar.
Create a checklist.
Individuals should be made aware of memory issues.
Make up mental games.
Invest in memory aids.
Use reminder messages
Employ repetition.