'Chemo Brain' Is a Big Problem, According to Breast Cancer Patients

Chemo brain is a general term used by both patients and their care providers to refer to a state of mental fogginess, lack of ability to focus, or loss of mental sharpness. These mental blocks can occur at any point before, during, and after cancer treatments. While it might be considered normal to experience a change in one’s ability to mentally approach life during cancer treatment, the issue has recently been discovered to persist up to 6 months following treatment.

Patients often identify their own symptoms in terms of frequent lapses in concentration, difficulty concentrating, difficulty remembering short-term events, difficulty learning new tasks, and difficulty performing routine tasks. Typically, patients do not realize any change in their mental state until it begins to cut into their ability to perform everyday tasks, and for this reason, it has been difficult to perform research or even recognize chemo brain as a trend.