„Chemobrain“? Beeinträchtigungen kognitiver Funktionen bei Mammakarzinompatientinnen

Viele Patientinnen mit einem Mammakarzinom klagen über Beeinträchtigungen des Gedächtnisses, der Aufmerksamkeit und anderer kognitiver Funktionen. Lange Zeit bestand weitgehend Konsens darüber, dass solche Probleme durch die Chemotherapie verursacht werden. Laborexperimente und Tiermodelle fanden Mechanismen, durch die Zytostatika das Gehirn schädigen könnten. Neuere klinische Studien allerdings lassen daran zweifeln, dass das sogenannte Chemobrain überhaupt existiert.

Ein Buch zu lesen oder einem Gespräch zu folgen macht Mühe, das richtige Wort oder ein Name lassen sich nicht aus dem Gedächtnis abrufen, die Organisation des Alltags ist eine Überforderung und alle intellektuellen Leistungen sind ungewohnt anstrengend – solche Klagen hören viele Ärzte von ihren onkologischen Patienten. Die Beeinträchtigungen kognitiver Funktionen erreichen zwar bei Weitem nicht das Ausmaß einer Demenz, sondern bleiben im Bereich von „slips and lapses“, die auch jedem Gesunden passieren können [1], aber einige der Betroffenen fühlen sich erheblich beeinträchtigt [2].

Publication History

Article published online:
04 November 2020

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