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Chemotherapy and cognition: comprehensive review on doxorubicin-induced chemobrain

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Abstract

Chemobrain refers to a common sequela experienced by a substantial subset of cancer patients exposed to chemotherapeutic treatment, a phenomenon that dramatically deteriorates the survivors’ quality of life and prevents them from restoring their pre-cancer life. This review is intended to address the current knowledge regarding the mechanisms underlying the pathophysiology of the chemobrain phenomenon, with special focus on the antineoplastic agent ‘’doxorubicin’’, which has been shown to be implicated in strenuous central neurotoxicity despite being—almost entirely—peripherally confined. Moreover, the assessment of the post-chemotherapy cognitive impairment in both human and animal subjects, and the potential pharmacotherapy and behavioral intervention strategies are reviewed.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Ms. Amany El-Shahawy Abdel-Maged, National Organization for Research and Control of Biologicals (NORCB), Cairo, Egypt, for her contribution to gathering data about positron emission tomography (PET) for this manuscript.

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This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

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  1. Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ain Shams University, Cairo, 11566, Egypt

    Sara Emad El-Agamy, Amal Kamal Abdel-Aziz, Ahmed Esmat & Samar S. Azab

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El-Agamy, S., Abdel-Aziz, A., Esmat, A. et al. Chemotherapy and cognition: comprehensive review on doxorubicin-induced chemobrain. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol 84, 1–14 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00280-019-03827-0

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