Hannah Wardill, Lead at Supportive Oncology Research Group (SORG), Research Fellow at Adelaide University, shared on LinkedIn:
“Is chemobrain a central symptom of systemic pathology?
This is a question we need to be asking more often in cancer survivorship research.
For too long, chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment (CRCI) has been approached primarily as a problem of the brain. But what if we’re looking at only one part of a much bigger picture?
Emerging evidence is challenging us to think beyond direct neurotoxicity and consider how chemotherapy disrupts biological systems throughout the body, including the gut microbiome, immune system, metabolic pathways and blood–brain barrier.
Perhaps the brain is not where the problem begins, but where systemic dysfunction becomes apparent.
This distinction matters enormously.
If cognitive impairment is, at least in part, a downstream manifestation of systemic pathology, then opportunities for prevention and treatment may extend well beyond the brain itself.
At the Supportive Oncology Research Group (SORG), this is a question driving much of our research. By investigating the complex interactions between the gut microbiome, systemic inflammation and neurological health, we hope to better understand why some people experience persistent cognitive difficulties following cancer treatment, while others remain resilient.
Importantly, this also challenges us to move away from studying treatment toxicities in isolation, towards understanding the interconnected biological processes that underpin the broader experience of cancer survivorship.
To protect the brain, we may need to look beyond it.”
Title: A three-hit sequential model of chemo-brain: from peripheral inflammation to central oxidative stress and synaptic dysfunction
Authors: Hui Yang, Yue Su, Yuying Zhong, Kehui Yang, Kaihui Shen, Xiaolan Cheng
You can also read:
Hannah Wardill: Why Some Patients Develop Chemobrain and Others Don’t?