High doses of chemotherapy may cause expressive speech difficulties in cancer patients, according to new research from the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
Approximately 1000 testicular cancer survivors were asked to respond to a questionnaire regarding how they felt 11 years post diagnosis. “Those who had undergone chemotherapy were more than twice as likely to report language difficulties as follows: that ‘the words came in the wrong order,’ that they ‘did not say the words they planned to,’ and that they had ‘difficulty finishing sentences,’” says Johanna Skoogh, postgraduate student at the Sahlgrenska Academy.
“Our questionnaire contains questions about difficulties that patients themselves have said they are troubled by in everyday life. As far as we know, this kind of measuring instrument has not been used in this context before. What also makes our study unique is the high response rate, over 80 percent, and the long follow-up period,” says Johanna Skoogh.
Other cognitive functions may also be affected by high doses of chemotherapy, because difficulties with memory and the ability to concentrate are also often reported among cancer survivors who received chemotherapy. However, research is currently inconclusive on whether these cognitive impairments are a direct result of chemotherapy as most research involves breast cancer patients, who are also given hormones that could possibly affect cognitive function.
The study was published in the journal Acta Oncologica.
Source: University of Gothenburg