Health Information - Prostate Cancer Therapy May Cause Cognitive Impairment

Prostate Cancer Therapy May Cause Cognitive Impairment

A review of published related studies indicates that approximately 69 percent of men undergoing hormone deprivation therapy for prostate Cancer will suffer from certain level of impaired cognition, like poor concentration skills.

Hormone deprivation therapy may be recommended for men who suffer from prostate cancer which is recurrent or in its advanced stage. The purpose of this treatment modality is to inhibit Testosterone production as a way of slowing down Tumor growth.

In a report in the Cancer Journal, Dr. Christian J. Nelson from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York and colleagues note that there’s a firm argument that hormone deprivation therapy, otherwise called androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), is associated with “subtle but significant cognitive decline in men with prostate cancer.”

They advise that the possibility of this ADT side effect be made known to both doctors and patients alike.

Nelson’s team reviewed data from 19 related animal and human studies showing relevant information.
The findings show that around 47 percent to 69 percent of men treated with ADT exhibit impairment in one or more cognitive functions. This impairment is most prevalently seen in processes that depend on spatial ability and in superior level “executive functioning” capacities like multi-tasking capability.

On the other hand, some studies reveal some proof that ADT may have enhanced the functioning of oral memory.

Nelson and his team observe that although suitably and properly designed, a lot of studies investigating ADT’s effects on cognitive function involved small populations.

To confirm these results, the research team seeks for studies involving larger populations and advises that such studies include brain imaging, as has been conducted in the investigation of breast cancer Chemotherapy’s effects on cognition.