For many cancer patients, chemotherapy does not stop at nausea and fatigue. It can also fog up attention, memory and everyday thinking, a side effect often called chemo brain.
A new Phase II clinical trial suggests a simple home exercise program may help. Researchers also found low-dose ibuprofen improved some measures of cognitive function, although the results were less consistent.
The study, published in CANCER, enrolled 86 cancer patients receiving chemotherapy who reported cognitive difficulties. Researchers said as many as 80 percent of chemotherapy patients experience some degree of cancer-related cognitive impairment.
Participants were randomly assigned to one of four groups for six weeks: Exercise for Cancer Patients, or EXCAP, plus low-dose ibuprofen; EXCAP plus placebo; low-dose ibuprofen only; and placebo only.
EXCAP is a home-based, low-to-moderate intensity, progressive walking and resistance exercise prescription.
After six weeks, patients in the EXCAP plus placebo group performed significantly better on tests of attention than those in the placebo group. Participants who received only low-dose ibuprofen also showed greater improvement than placebo participants on measures of attention.
Researchers also looked at how often cognitive difficulties were noticed by other people. Compared with those receiving placebo, people in both the EXCAP plus ibuprofen and EXCAP plus placebo groups improved on a measure that assessed if friends, family members or coworkers had commented on or observed cognitive problems.
The ibuprofen findings were mixed. Patients taking ibuprofen showed less improvement in short-term verbal memory than those who were not taking the medication. Researchers said that result will need further investigation.
Lead author Michelle C. Janelsins, PhD, MPH, of the University of Rochester and the Wilmot Cancer Institute, said the findings pointed most strongly to exercise.
“We are encouraged by the findings of this trial that suggest possible benefits of both interventions for some cognitive domains. Clearly, we saw a more pronounced effect with exercise, which is notable considering the multiple health benefits of exercise for cancer survivors,” she said.
“This is one of the first studies specifically designed to assess these interventions for cancer-related cognitive impairment during chemotherapy in patients with multiple diseases using both performance-based cognitive assessments and patient-reported outcomes.”
Researchers said larger Phase III clinical trials are needed to confirm the findings and clarify the role of both interventions. Janelsins said future research should test different durations and doses for exercise programs and low-dose ibuprofen.
Read more from Science Daily.
