Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Coping With Chemo Brain - Well Blog - NYTimes.com

Last week, my colleague Jane Brody explored the new scientific thinking about "chemo brain," the foggy thinking and forgetfulness that afflicts many cancer patients after treatment. This week, Jane offers advice for patients in "Taking Steps to Cope With Chemo Brain."

For years, patient complaints about the cognitive losses that seemed to follow cancer treatment were dismissed by doctors, who blamed memory problems on aging or the fatigue of illness. But more recently, many doctors are finally acknowledging chemo brain as a legitimate and vexing after-effect of chemotherapy.

If you have a question about chemo brain, be sure to check out the Consults blog, "When Cancer Treatment Affects Memory," where Dr. Daniel Silverman, a leading researcher in the field and co-author with Idelle Davidson of "Your Brain After Chemo: A Practical Guide to Lifting the Fog and Getting Back Your Focus," is answering questions.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/11/coping-with-chemo-brain/