DENVER (Oct. 5, 2006) – Women who undergo chemotherapy to treat breast cancer often report side effects to their doctors, including fatigue, mood changes, problems with memory, and a diminished ability to concentrate.
The inability to find just the right word while talking to friends and business associates, or the inability to multitask at home or on the job, can be disturbing for women who have survived the battle against cancer only to succumb to a syndrome sometimes referred to as “chemo brain.” Now, Colorado cancer researchers are recruiting study participants who can help them gain insights into this mysterious phenomenon.
Researchers hope to recruit study participants 45 years of age and older who have been newly diagnosed with stage one, two or three breast cancer – but are not yet undergoing chemotherapy. They are especially interested in talking to women age 60 and older. Women from across the Front Range are encouraged to participate.
“Our goal is to determine how frequently problems with thinking, memory and concentration occur, and to test a theory about what causes these difficulties,” said Jim Grigsby, PhD, lead investigator of the study and a University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center School of Medicine professor. “The results could help improve the lives of women who undergo chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer.”
Anyone who wishes to participate is asked to send an inquiry to cacs@uchsc.edu or call (303) 724-2536.
Volunteers will be paid for their time, and will be asked to spend two to three hours on three occasions about six months apart to take some tests of memory, concentration and thinking. Participants will also need to give small blood samples. About one in four will be asked to undergo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which provides a picture of the brain around the time of each testing session.
The study “Chemotherapy and Cognition in Women with Breast Cancer” is a combined effort of the UCDHSC Division of Health Care Policy and Research, Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers, the University of Colorado Hospital Breast Center, and Denver Health Medical Center. The study is funded by the National Institutes of Health.
The University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center is one of three universities in the University of Colorado system. Located in Denver and Aurora, Colo., the center includes schools of medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and dentistry, a graduate school and a teaching hospital. For more information, visit the Web site at www.uchsc.edu or the UCDHSC Newsroom at http://www.uchsc.edu/news.