http://news.independent.co.uk/world/...cle2026798.ece
Cancer drugs harmful to brain cells
By John von Radowitz
Published: 30 November 2006
Common cancer drugs may be more harmful to the brain than the tumour
cells they are meant to destroy.
Laboratory tests have shown that dose levels typically used when
treating patients killed 70-100 per cent of neural cells but just
40-80 per cent of cancer cells. Several types of healthy brain cell
continued to die for at least six weeks after exposure.
The findings, published in the Journal of Biology, may help explain
the little understood cancer therapy side effect of "chemo brain".
Patients can suffer symptoms ranging from memory loss to seizures,
loss of vision and even dementia. Until recently, these problems were
often blamed on a patient's mental state.
However, a growing body of evidence is now leading doctors to accept
the reality of "chemo brain".
A study this year suggested that more than 82 per cent of cancer
patients may suffer some form of mental impairment. While scientists
have suspected that chemotherapy could have an impact on the central
nervous system, it was not clear how this might occur.
Mark Noble, from the University of Rochester Medical Centre in New
York, who led the research, said: "This is the first study that puts
'chemo brain' on a sound scientific footing, in terms of neurobiology
and cellular biology."
The brain is populated with several types of cells that produce or
repair normally functioning neurons. These are classified as dividing
stem cells, dividing intermediate cells, precursors and progenitors,
and non-dividing mature cells. Dr Noble's team exposed healthy brain
cells as well as cancer cells to three chemotherapy drugs, carmustine,
cisplatin and cytosine arabinoside, used to treat a wide range of
diseases, including breast cancer, leukaemia and brain tumours.Tests
showed that the drugs were toxic to all the different cell types even
at very low concentrations.
The research points to several strategies for making cancer treatments
safer, such as applying protective agents and screening to see what
cell populations are most at risk.
Common cancer drugs may be more harmful to the brain than the tumour
cells they are meant to destroy.
Laboratory tests have shown that dose levels typically used when
treating patients killed 70-100 per cent of neural cells but just
40-80 per cent of cancer cells. Several types of healthy brain cell
continued to die for at least six weeks after exposure.
The findings, published in the Journal of Biology, may help explain
the little understood cancer therapy side effect of "chemo brain".
Patients can suffer symptoms ranging from memory loss to seizures,
loss of vision and even dementia. Until recently, these problems were
often blamed on a patient's mental state.
However, a growing body of evidence is now leading doctors to accept
the reality of "chemo brain".
A study this year suggested that more than 82 per cent of cancer
patients may suffer some form of mental impairment. While scientists
have suspected that chemotherapy could have an impact on the central
nervous system, it was not clear how this might occur.
Mark Noble, from the University of Rochester Medical Centre in New
York, who led the research, said: "This is the first study that puts
'chemo brain' on a sound scientific footing, in terms of neurobiology
and cellular biology."
The brain is populated with several types of cells that produce or
repair normally functioning neurons. These are classified as dividing
stem cells, dividing intermediate cells, precursors and progenitors,
and non-dividing mature cells. Dr Noble's team exposed healthy brain
cells as well as cancer cells to three chemotherapy drugs, carmustine,
cisplatin and cytosine arabinoside, used to treat a wide range of
diseases, including breast cancer, leukaemia and brain tumours.Tests
showed that the drugs were toxic to all the different cell types even
at very low concentrations.
The research points to several strategies for making cancer treatments
safer, such as applying protective agents and screening to see what
cell populations are most at risk.
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