Chemotherapy neurotoxicity is a side effect of several agents used in the chemotherapy treatment. Central neurotoxicity of the brain due to chemotherapy could cause symptoms like confusion, cognitive problems, memory problems and memory loss, seizures and imbalance in the movement. Although chemotherapy treatment can cure cancer in many patients, this is one of the side effects that cancer survivors can have. This condition can occur during or after the treatment.

Various antineoplastic drugs of chemotherapy could cause neurologic side effects. Some of the drugs  that can cause neurotoxicity can cause neurotoxicity include 5-Fluorouracil  (5FU), Cytarabine (Ara C), oxaliplatin, Vinca Alkaloids, Paclitaxel, Procarbazine, Cisplatin, L-Asparaginase and Ifosfamide. Our nervous system comprises of central nervous system and peripheral nervous system. Central nervous system is further divided into the Brain and the Spinal Cord.

Symptoms of Chemotherapy Neurotoxicity

Chemotherapy neurotoxicity might cause four troubles related to the improper functioning of the brain these are: confusions, cognitive problems, memory problems and memory loss, and seizures. Let us discuss the symptoms of all these four irregularities one after another:
1.    Confusion: Confusion is the disability of a person to orient the time, location or a person. It is often called delirium. Confusion might cause significant change in the behavior of the person. Few common symptoms of confusion are:

•    Difficulty in orienting an occurrence
•    Difficulty to remember instances
•    Trouble in tracking what you did throughout the day
•    Feel frequent mood swings
•    Troubled sleep

2.    Cognitive Problems: Cognition is a catchall term for all complex intellectual functions that involve reasoning and thinking. Impaired or problematic cognition might affect the capability to think and device or analyze. Some common examples could be forgetting how much money the grocery keeper is to return you, confusion in deciding directions, solving easy math puzzles, doing small calculations etc.
3.    Memory Loss: Memory loss affects the tendency to recall and retrieve some information. A general loss of memory with age is characteristic and is called senility. A senile person finds it little difficult to remember names, places, phone numbers etc. Chemotherapy could slightly vitiate your memory leading to a senile like condition
4.    Seizures: Seizure is a spasm or convulsion caused by sudden firing in the activities of nerves. Our nerves carry message by electric medium. Predisposition to a chemotherapy drug might ignite the nerves to cause a seizure. Seizures are unpredictable and episodic; these might last for a few seconds. Many patients retrace some hallucination before the seizure

Common Neurological Investigations:

1. Physical Examination: Some physical examinations of neurological symptoms could be done by four ways viz.
   • Cranial Nerve Assessment: There are 12 cranial nerves arising from our brain and each conduct a specific function. Assessment of each nerve is done by evaluating the function it performs
   • Motor Function Assessment: Motor function involves various muscular activities and tasks that require dexterity. The specialists usually evaluate various motor activities like opening and closing of eyes, touching one’s nose etc.
   • Sensory Function Assessment: The sensations of a person is evaluated by testing various sensory functions like taste, sight, touch and smell
   • Reflex Assessment: Testing the reflex action is done to examine the proper functioning of spinal cord to coordinate various functions
2. Imaging Techniques: Imaging involves using Computer Tomography (CT) Scan or Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) technique to study the inside of the brain
3. Electroencephalogram (EEG): EEG is the procedure to record the brain’s waves while a person is sleeping, awake or concentrating on some other activity. EEG takes up to 45 minutes to 1 hour
4. Electromyography or EMG: EMG is devised by doctors if the patient feels nerve pain or muscular weakness

Chemotherapy neurotoxicity is accounted in patients nowadays more than ever before. Neurotoxicity affects the patient not only physically but mentally. Patients and their families must immediately contact their doctors if they experience any neurological symptoms. One might even doubt the effectiveness of chemotherapy. But these might be suppressed or cured by various antibiotics, anti depressant, antidotes and corticosteroids. However, the best cure might be to stop the treatment with the drug temporarily or completely, followed by a supportive therapy. In many cases, this condition abated once the treatment with the drug is stopped.