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Experts look for ways to treat 'Chemo Brain'

The decline from "Chemo Brain" can start 6 months after chemotherapy treatments.
Credit: CBS
The human brain

ASHBURN, Va. (WUSA9) -- Coping with breast cancer is never easy and recovering from the treatment can also be hard on the body. However, new tests are underway to relieve the effects of a condition called "chemo brain."

Clinical social worker Saundra Weller is part of an Inova-based program called Life with Cancer. They offer wellness programs like yoga and drumming, along with counseling and therapies to help relieve the stress of cancer treatment.

Helping cancer patients from their diagnosis through treatment is a passion for Saundra. A condition that she commonly sees in patients after treatment, is a change in brain function.

Weller says, "And at times they don't even know what it is. They've heard of chemo brain but they really don't know if it's real or it it's just something that's a myth about chemo."

However it is real, the decline can start 6 months after chemotherapy treatments.

Dr. John Deeken of Inova Cancer Center says, "We're seeing that it's a real decline and it's not one that recovers like many aspects of brain injury."

Dr. Deeken and his colleagues at Inova Cancer Center are researching ways to help those who suffer from chemo brain. They are starting a clinical trial in collaboration with Stanford University Medical Center to understand the genetics of this chemotherapy side effect.

"If we can figure out which women could be at risk for this early on, perhaps we can help them early in their treatment," adds Dr. Deeken.

The trial will utilize cognitive training to try to improve mental function over a 3 month period. Which is welcome news for Saundra and her team, as the bond with their patients go far beyond the clinic.

Weller says, "I think that it is something that is going to give the patients some hope and I think that the more hope we can give patients the better they will heal."

For more information about the cancer clinical trials at Inova, visit www.inova.org/cancer.

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