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Can Cancer or Cancer Treatment Make you More Forgetful?
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Jul 22, 2025
This video addresses the common experience of **memory problems** as people age, particularly when facing health challenges like cancer. It explores how these challenges can impact cognitive health, making individuals more aware of **memory loss**. Learn how to navigate **memory decline in aging** and understand the importance of **brain health** and addressing **anxiety** related to cognitive changes. Connect with me via LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/arminshahrokni?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=android_app X https://x.com/GeriOncologist?t=QMpM6F9KTB9_2W66OiEOzw&s=09 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/aging_cancer/profilecard/?igsh=MXI3eTBieTNhNjJucg== Google Scholar https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C33&q=armin+shahrokni+&btnG=
View Video Transcript
0:05
it happens to so many of us right you
0:07
know you walk into a room and just pause
0:09
thinking "Why am I here again?" Oh
0:11
absolutely or you're looking for your
0:12
phone and it's well it's been in your
0:14
hand the whole time these little
0:16
glitches um they can feel more common as
0:19
we get older and it naturally makes you
0:21
think a bit more about memory about your
0:23
thinking sure does now add a major
0:26
health challenge into the mix something
0:27
like cancer and suddenly those concerns
0:30
about uh cognitive function can feel
0:34
really significant they absolutely can
0:36
it becomes this extra layer of worry you
0:38
know on top of everything else that's
0:40
going on and it's complicated because
0:43
like you said just aging itself brings
0:46
cognitive changes right so when you put
0:48
that together with cancer and then the
0:50
effects of the treatments well the
0:53
picture gets pretty complex which is
0:55
exactly why we wanted to do this deep
0:56
dive today we're looking right at that
0:58
intersection cognitive function in older
1:00
adults who have cancer our source
1:02
material for this is uh it's a really
1:04
thorough expert review published in a
1:07
good journal pulls together a lot of
1:08
research to try and give us a clear view
1:10
of what we know now yeah and our mission
1:13
really is to take all that dense
1:15
information and kind of cut through the
1:18
complexity okay we want to understand
1:20
what's actually happening to cognition
1:22
when cancer and aging meet how doctors
1:25
assess these changes in the clinic what
1:27
the current thinking is on managing them
1:30
mhm and also really importantly where
1:32
the research still needs to go it's
1:35
about getting you those key insights so
1:37
you feel well informed okay great let's
1:39
unpack this then so the review kicks off
1:41
with a pretty foundational point cancer
1:43
is by and large a disease linked to
1:46
aging right most people diagnosed are 65
1:48
or older that's such a critical starting
1:51
point and what's really fascinating or
1:53
maybe concerning is that the cancer
1:54
itself and maybe even more so the
1:56
therapies used they don't just target
1:58
the tumor they can actually speed up
2:00
certain aspects of aging throughout the
2:02
body and that includes the brain and how
2:05
it functions wow so it's not just two
2:07
separate things happening side by side
2:09
they actually influence each other
2:10
potentially accelerating cognitive
2:12
changes exactly and this is where that
2:14
term CRCD comes in cancer related
2:18
cognitive decline that's the one crcd is
2:21
basically the umbrella term for those
2:24
changes in cognitive function things
2:26
like memory attention uh executive
2:29
functions like planning or problem
2:31
solving okay and processing speed how
2:33
quickly you think changes that happen
2:35
after a cancer diagnosis or treatment
2:37
and the review mentions that even though
2:39
these changes might be more subtle than
2:41
say dementia right they still really hit
2:44
quality of life they affect how people
2:46
manage their daily routines and they can
2:48
stick around for months maybe even years
2:50
oh yeah they're definitely not trivial
2:52
now the source also brings up another
2:54
really key point older adults often come
2:57
into a cancer diagnosis already having
2:59
some cognitive issues oh right the
3:01
review sites data um showing that a
3:04
noticeable chunk somewhere between about
3:05
4% and 7% of adults 65 plus with cancer
3:09
already have dementia beforehand and if
3:11
you look broader at the general
3:12
population over 70 estimates are around
3:15
14% with dementia and another 22% or so
3:18
with what's called mild cognitive
3:20
impairment or MCI those numbers really
3:23
paint a picture don't they a lot of
3:25
people are starting this cancer journey
3:27
with some existing cognitive
3:29
vulnerability precisely and the tricky
3:32
part is that the stress of the cancer
3:33
diagnosis the treatments themselves they
3:36
can sometimes unmask these underlying
3:38
conditions or make them worse so it
3:41
raises this really important question
3:42
for doctors and researchers how do you
3:44
tease apart what's just typical aging
3:47
what's a pre-existing issue getting
3:49
worse and what's specifically being
3:50
caused by the cancer or the treatment
3:52
yeah that sounds incredibly difficult to
3:54
figure out for any single person so how
3:57
do experts even start trying to identify
3:59
who might be most at risk for these
4:01
cognitive changes well the review is
4:03
pretty clear that the absolute starting
4:05
point is getting a really detailed
4:06
patient history okay talking to the
4:08
patient often talking to their family
4:10
too that's crucial for spotting
4:12
potential risk factors early on right
4:14
makes sense so what kinds of things are
4:16
they looking for in that history this is
4:18
where it gets really interesting I think
4:19
well age itself is obviously a factor
4:22
chronological age matters sure but the
4:24
source points out and this is key that
4:27
aging isn't uniform cognitive aging
4:30
varies a lot from person to person right
4:33
everyone ages differently exactly but
4:35
what's notable here is that some cancer
4:37
treatments especially chemotherapy can
4:40
actually bring about brain changes that
4:41
look quite similar to age related
4:44
changes how so things like uh reductions
4:46
in gray matter volume in certain brain
4:48
areas or changes in the white matter the
4:51
connections treatments can mimic that
4:53
huh so age is a risk but the way
4:56
treatment affects the brain can actually
4:58
look like accelerated aging in some ways
5:00
that's a good way to put it okay what
5:02
else puts someone at higher risk low
5:04
cognitive reserve that's a big one
5:06
cognitive reserve explain that a bit
5:08
yeah so the source defines it as your
5:11
brain's sort of innate or acquired
5:13
capacity it's resilience think of it as
5:16
how well your brain can cope with damage
5:17
or changes and still function okay like
5:20
having a mental buffer maybe build up
5:23
over time exactly like that things like
5:26
having higher education a mentally
5:28
demanding job staying involved in
5:30
stimulating activities being physically
5:33
active all these things seem to help
5:35
build that reserve okay and the review
5:38
clearly states that having lower reserve
5:41
is a significant risk factor for
5:43
developing CRCD that makes intuitive
5:46
sense yeah a more robumped brain network
5:48
might withstand the hit better than
5:50
there are other health conditions
5:51
coorbidities and especially frailty ah
5:55
frailty we hear that term more now
5:57
regarding older adults what does it
5:59
signify here so the source describes
6:01
frailty as more than just being weak
6:03
it's like a systemic loss of reserve
6:05
across the whole body okay it means
6:06
someone has a reduced ability to bounce
6:08
back from stressors and cancer treatment
6:10
is a major stressor right patients who
6:13
are identified as frail or even prefrail
6:15
before they start therapy seem to be the
6:17
most vulnerable to cognitive decline
6:19
from that therapy so it's really about
6:21
the person's overall health and
6:23
resilience not just the cancer or the
6:25
treatment and isolation exactly it's the
6:27
whole picture the review also mentioned
6:29
psychological factors and um symptom
6:33
clusters like what things like high
6:35
levels of distress anxiety depression
6:37
maybe a history of trauma or having
6:40
clusters of symptoms like ongoing
6:42
fatigue and really poor sleep these can
6:44
also increase the risk for CRCD it
6:46
sounds like such a complex interplay
6:48
between the mind the body the person's
6:50
history it really is what about on a
6:53
more sort of biological level are
6:55
researchers looking at specific mercury
6:57
they are the review talks about host
6:59
biology noting it's definitely a
7:01
research frontier right now okay they're
7:03
investigating various biological markers
7:05
genetics is one area they mention the
7:07
APOE4 alil that's the one known to
7:09
increase Alzheimer's risk right and some
7:12
studies suggest it might also be linked
7:13
to worse executive function in older
7:16
adults getting chemo so our individual
7:19
genetic blueprint could play a part in
7:21
our vulnerability it seems possible yeah
7:23
they're also looking at markers of
7:24
what's called biologic age biologic age
7:28
as opposed to just years lived exactly
7:30
it's about how old your cells and
7:33
tissues seem to be functioning which
7:35
might not match your birthday
7:36
interesting the source mentions markers
7:38
like P16 which is sometimes seen as a
7:41
sign of cellular wear and tear
7:43
scinsessence some research shows it
7:46
increases with chemo suggesting maybe an
7:48
accelerated molecular aging process ah
7:51
that connects right back to what you
7:52
said earlier about treatments speeding
7:54
up aging precisely and inflammation
7:56
markers are another area things like IL6
7:59
TNF alpha these have been pretty
8:00
consistently linked to CRCD in various
8:03
studies okay but the review is careful
8:06
here it emphasizes that a lot of this
8:08
host biology research especially with
8:10
these specific markers is still kind of
8:12
investigational and it hasn't been
8:14
studied extensively specifically in
8:16
older adults getting cancer treatment
8:18
yet so promising leads but needs more
8:20
work in this specific group definitely
8:22
beyond blood tests or genetic markers
8:25
can doctors actually see changes in the
8:26
brain that line up with these cognitive
8:28
problems yes and that's where neuroiming
8:30
like MRI scans comes in the source notes
8:33
that changes they can see in brain
8:35
structure or how the brain is
8:36
functioning on these scans do correlate
8:39
with people doing worse on cognitive
8:41
tests what kind of changes for example
8:43
an older adults who've had chemotherapy
8:45
studies have found reductions in gray
8:47
matter volume in important areas and
8:50
also changes in the white matter the
8:52
brain's wiring essentially and these
8:55
changes are associated with lower
8:57
cognitive scores so you can actually see
8:59
some physical evidence in the brain that
9:01
matches the cognitive difficulties
9:03
people report that's wow that's a lot to
9:05
consider just for understanding who's at
9:07
risk it really highlights why figuring
9:09
this out isn't simple and why actually
9:12
assessing cognitive function becomes so
9:14
important which you know leads us right
9:16
into how clinicians try to do that
9:18
assessment and the source mentioned
9:20
earlier that these cognitive issues
9:21
often get missed or maybe patients don't
9:23
report them they do get missed partly
9:25
because you know patients are
9:27
understandably focused on the cancer
9:30
itself the treatment and sometimes the
9:32
changes are subtle they creep up that's
9:34
why there are national guidelines now
9:36
recommending screening all older adults
9:38
with cancer before they even start
9:40
treatment before treatment okay yeah
9:42
it's seen as really critical information
9:44
to help guide the whole care plan make
9:47
informed decisions together what kind of
9:49
screening tools are typically used in a
9:51
busy clinic setting the review suggests
9:54
using brief practical tools things like
9:57
the mini the moaka that's the Montreal
9:59
cognitive assessment or the blessed
10:01
orientation memory concentration test
10:03
they're relatively quick screens and
10:05
they help flag people who might need a
10:07
closer look exactly they help identify
10:09
patients who might benefit from a more
10:11
in-depth evaluation and the review notes
10:14
something quite striking somewhere
10:16
between 15% and almost half of older
10:19
adults show an abnormal score on these
10:22
screens before they even start cancer
10:24
treatment wow up to half potentially
10:25
starting out with some flags already
10:27
raised that's huge it really underscores
10:29
the scale of this yeah but there's a
10:31
caveat the source mentions these tools
10:34
they were mostly designed originally to
10:36
screen for dementia ah right so they
10:39
might not always be sensitive enough to
10:41
pick up the uh the subtler changes that
10:43
are more characteristic of CRCD okay so
10:47
they're a useful first step but maybe
10:49
not perfectly tailored for spotting
10:52
these specific cancer related cognitive
10:55
shifts potentially yeah are there other
10:57
ways clinicians try to capture those
10:58
more subtle issues then absolutely
11:01
patient self-report questionnaires can
11:03
be really valuable here so asking the
11:05
patient directly about their experience
11:07
exactly tools like the fact or promise
11:10
cognitive function scales or the ERTC
11:13
one they let patients report on how they
11:15
feel their memory or concentration is
11:18
doing in everyday life that makes sense
11:20
the patient often knows best when
11:21
something feels off they often do and
11:23
these questionnaires have established
11:25
cut off points thresholds that can
11:28
signal okay this person probably needs a
11:30
more formal assessment okay but you
11:32
mentioned earlier screening doesn't
11:33
always happen right and the review
11:35
acknowledges this is a major practical
11:38
hurdle despite the recommendations this
11:40
kind of cognitive screening is still
11:43
pretty underutilized in day-to-day
11:45
oncology care why is that often it just
11:48
boils down to lack of time lack of
11:50
resources in really busy clinics yeah I
11:53
can see that being a real barrier does
11:54
the source offer any solutions it
11:57
suggests some practical ideas like maybe
12:00
training other clinic staff nurses
12:01
medical assistants to administer the
12:03
brief screening tools or relying more on
12:06
those patient self-report questionnaires
12:08
which patients could potentially fill
12:10
out while they're waiting okay finding
12:12
ways to integrate it yeah and crucially
12:14
if concerns do come up whether from the
12:16
history the screening or the
12:18
questionnaire the review really stresses
12:20
that clinicians should refer patients on
12:22
send them to neuroscychology or other
12:23
specialty services for that deeper dive
12:25
evaluation right so moving on once
12:28
treatment actually starts how does
12:30
cognition tend to fare does the source
12:33
get into the effects of specific cancer
12:35
therapies it does yeah and it emphasizes
12:38
that monitoring cognition during
12:39
treatment and after treatment is really
12:41
important using both patient reports and
12:44
those objective performance tests okay
12:46
let's talk about chemotherapy first
12:47
that's probably the one most people
12:49
associate with cognitive side effects
12:51
that term chemobrain right chemobrain or
12:53
chemop fog the source presents findings
12:56
and it shows cognitive changes happen in
12:58
a pretty wide range of patients after
13:00
chemo maybe 10% in some studies up to
13:03
over 50% in others that's a big range it
13:06
is depends on the study the chemo the
13:08
patient group but one large study found
13:11
that patients getting chemo were about
13:14
four times more likely to report that
13:15
their cognition had worsened compared to
13:17
similar patients who didn't get chemo
13:19
four times more likely to feel it
13:21
themselves that's a really significant
13:22
difference in perception it really is
13:24
and objective testing backs this up too
13:26
it shows declines particularly in memory
13:30
attention executive function that can
13:32
last for up to 6 months after
13:34
chemotherapy ends now the review does
13:37
note that the magnitude of these
13:38
declines is generally subtle compared to
13:41
something like Alzheimer's okay but even
13:43
subtle changes can still have a real
13:46
negative impact on quality of life
13:48
definitely what about longer term does
13:51
it eventually go away after chemo well
13:53
the evidence there seems a bit mixed
13:56
according to the review some studies
13:57
suggest things improve over time maybe
13:59
people recover others show persistent
14:02
changes lasting months even years later
14:05
at least in a subgroup of patients okay
14:07
and the source specifically highlights
14:09
that in older patients that worsening of
14:12
cognition over time after chemo seem to
14:14
be linked with increases in frailty ah
14:17
there's that frailty connection again
14:19
yeah reinforcing that link we talked
14:20
about earlier keeps popping up what
14:22
about other kinds of cancer treatments
14:24
not just chemo but maybe hormone
14:26
therapies or the newer amunotherapies
14:29
good question the review looks at non-
14:31
chemo agents too starting with endocrine
14:33
therapies like hormone blockers used
14:35
commonly for breast cancer or prostate
14:37
cancer in older adults the studies there
14:39
have shown kind of mixed results some
14:41
research finds effects on things like
14:43
executive function working memory
14:45
concentration others don't find
14:47
significant cognitive changes compared
14:49
to controls so mixed findings suggests
14:53
maybe it's subtle or depends on the
14:56
specific drug or the person that could
14:58
be it it's not as clear-cut perhaps as
15:00
with some chemotherapy data however one
15:02
finding that does stand out yeah is
15:04
about androgen deprivation therapy ADT
15:07
which is used for prostate cancer that
15:09
has been associated in some large
15:11
studies with about a 21% increased risk
15:13
of developing dementia later on wow a
15:16
21% increased risk of dementia linked to
15:18
ADT that's pretty striking it's a
15:20
notable finding from the literature yeah
15:22
definitely something clinicians and
15:23
patients need to be aware of absolutely
15:25
what about the really new stuff like
15:27
amunotherapies right so the source notes
15:30
that some of these newer therapies might
15:32
contribute to CRCD but the data is still
15:34
emerging specifically calls out CRT cell
15:37
therapy okay that's a very powerful
15:39
newer treatment extremely powerful and
15:42
it's frequently associated with
15:43
neurotoxicity meaning side effects
15:45
affecting the nervous system happens in
15:47
over 40% of patients over 40% yeah and
15:50
within that neurotoxicity
15:52
cognitive disorders are listed as common
15:55
symptoms things like confusion attention
15:57
problems language difficulties okay but
16:00
again the source adds an important
16:01
caution most of the studies looking at
16:04
CRT neurotoxicity and cognition have
16:07
primarily involved younger patients ah
16:09
okay so we still need more research to
16:11
really understand the cognitive effects
16:14
specifically in older adults receiving
16:16
these cutting edge therapies right the
16:18
population we're focusing on today okay
16:20
so we've got this picture forming who's
16:22
at risk how treatments might impact
16:24
cognition the challenges in assessment
16:27
how are experts actually supposed to
16:28
manage these concerns when they come up
16:30
in older patients with cancer well the
16:32
review really emphasizes that this is a
16:34
growing need with the population aging
16:36
we're just going to see more and more
16:38
older patients who are either at risk
16:40
for cognitive issues or who already have
16:42
them when they start cancer treatment
16:44
it's becoming unavoidable really as part
16:46
of comprehensive cancer care for many it
16:49
really is and one critical piece of
16:52
management is using that cognitive
16:53
assessment we talked about to help
16:55
figure out a patients capacity for
16:58
making decisions decisions about their
17:00
treatment exactly cancer treatment
17:02
options can be incredibly complex
17:04
understanding someone's cognitive
17:06
baseline helps the clinical team tailor
17:08
not just the treatment itself but also
17:10
the level of support that person might
17:12
need and the source seemed to really
17:14
hammer home that this isn't just about
17:16
making the initial decision cognitive
17:18
status seems tied directly to how well
17:20
the treatment actually goes doesn't it
17:22
yes this is so important the review
17:24
points out that having worse scores on
17:26
those cognitive screens before treatment
17:28
even starts is linked to worse outcomes
17:31
down the line what kind of outcomes
17:33
things like a higher risk of
17:34
experiencing significant chemotherapy
17:36
toxicity side effects and even
17:38
disturbingly worse overall survival
17:41
worse survival linked to pre-treatment
17:44
cognitive scores that's that's a really
17:46
critical connection it's not just about
17:48
feeling a bit foggy then it can actually
17:50
impact the success of the cancer
17:52
treatment it appears so because think
17:56
about it cognitive impairment can make
17:58
it much harder for patients to manage
18:01
complicated medication schedules
18:03
remember all their appointments fully
18:05
understand instructions yeah and maybe
18:07
most importantly accurately recognize
18:09
and report side effects when they happen
18:11
right which is crucial for safety
18:13
absolutely huh so this means providing
18:15
enough medical and social support is
18:17
vital for these patients the review
18:19
stresses how important it is to formally
18:21
designate a healthcare proxy someone who
18:23
can help with decisions if needed okay
18:25
and also to monitor the burden on
18:27
caregivers because looking after someone
18:29
with cognitive challenges on top of
18:31
cancer is incredibly demanding so
18:33
managing cognition is really integral to
18:36
managing the cancer safely and
18:37
effectively what about interventions
18:39
aimed specifically at helping cognition
18:41
itself during or after treatment right
18:44
so for cognitive concerns that do arise
18:46
the review discusses approaches often
18:48
found within survivorship care plans
18:51
sometimes referral to specialists like
18:53
neurosychologists or maybe integrative
18:55
oncology services can be part of that
18:58
are there specific types of
18:59
interventions that seem to hold promise
19:02
the main areas getting investigated
19:03
according to the source are behavioral
19:05
interventions two big categories here
19:08
cognitive rehabilitation what does that
19:10
involve it can include things like
19:12
strategy training teaching people ways
19:14
to compensate for memory or attention
19:17
issues education about cognition or
19:20
sometimes computer-based brain training
19:22
exercises okay cognitive rehab what's
19:24
the other category physical activity and
19:26
exercise programs interesting and does
19:29
the research show that these behavioral
19:30
approaches actually help with CRCD well
19:34
there's some positive evidence a
19:36
systematic review mentioned in the
19:37
source found that overall cognitive
19:39
rehabilitation interventions did lead to
19:42
improvements in at least one objective
19:44
cognitive measure in the studies they
19:45
looked at okay that's promising and for
19:47
physical activity studies have also
19:49
shown improvements in how patients
19:51
perceive their cognition their
19:53
self-reported function and sometimes
19:55
improvements on objective tests too good
19:57
but is there a catch well the big caveat
20:00
which the review points out repeatedly
20:02
is that most of these intervention
20:03
studies for both cognitive rehab and
20:06
exercise they were done primarily in
20:08
younger cancer survivors ah okay so the
20:12
direct evidence for how well they work
20:14
specifically in older adults the group
20:16
most at risk is still not as strong
20:19
that's basically it the evidence base is
20:21
thinner for older adults but the review
20:24
suggested for older adults who are
20:26
perhaps at greater risk of losing
20:28
functional independence if their
20:30
cognition declines significantly right
20:32
intervening earlier might be
20:33
particularly important maybe even
20:35
starting cognitive or exercise programs
20:37
alongside their cancer therapy not just
20:39
waiting until afterwards that makes a
20:41
lot of sense trying to preserve function
20:43
maybe build resilience while they're
20:45
going through treatment rather than just
20:46
trying to fix problems later exactly the
20:50
idea is to potentially preserve function
20:52
and independence better in the long run
20:55
for this group okay that covers
20:56
behavioral strategies what about
20:58
medications are there any drugs that can
21:00
help with chemobrain or other CRCD the
21:03
review is pretty definitive on this
21:05
point currently there are no established
21:07
pharmacologic interventions specifically
21:09
approved or proven effective for CRCD
21:12
none at all none established now some
21:15
drugs have been studied things like
21:17
methylphinidate which is used for ADHD
21:19
or mudapanyl for wakefulness even
21:21
dunisel which is used for Alzheimer's
21:23
right they've been looked at in small
21:25
studies in cancer patients but the
21:27
research is limited the results have
21:28
been really mixed and they haven't
21:30
clearly confirmed a benefit for CRCD
21:32
across the board so no magic pill to
21:35
reverse or prevent cognitive issues from
21:37
cancer treatment right now not yet no
21:40
and crucially the source makes another
21:41
vital point dedicated studies testing
21:44
these or other drugs specifically ally
21:46
in older adults with COCD basically
21:49
haven't been done that seems like a huge
21:51
gap given everything we've discussed
21:52
about older adults being most affected
21:55
it's a major knowledge gap absolutely so
21:57
speaking of those gaps the review
21:59
finishes by outlining where research
22:01
really needs to focus next doesn't it
22:03
yes it pulls together the key priorities
22:05
for moving the field forward a massive
22:08
one is simply increasing the
22:10
representation of older adults in CRCD
22:12
research getting them included in
22:14
studies yes especially older adults who
22:16
might already have some cognitive
22:19
impairment before cancer right now
22:21
they're often underrepresented or
22:23
sometimes actively excluded from
22:25
clinical trials and studies so the
22:27
studies need to actually focus on the
22:28
population that's most relevant and most
22:30
vulnerable here precisely another key
22:33
area is advancing how we assess and
22:36
screen cognitive function specifically
22:38
in older adults with cancer improving
22:40
the tools improving the tools yes but
22:43
also getting clinics to actually
22:45
implement the screening consistently
22:47
right and beyond that adding measures of
22:49
functional cognition functional
22:51
cognition what does that mean exactly it
22:53
means assessing how cognitive changes
22:56
actually impact someone's ability to do
22:58
everyday tasks uh like real world impact
23:01
yes exactly looking at things called
23:03
instrumental activities of daily living
23:05
or IADLs
23:07
can they still manage their medications
23:08
independently pay their bills cook a
23:11
meal use transportation measures that
23:14
really capture the practical effect on
23:16
someone's ability to live independently
23:18
that seems absolutely vital it's not
23:20
just about a score on a test it's about
23:22
how it affects their actual life
23:24
couldn't agree more and then finally a
23:26
major priority is developing and testing
23:29
interventions behavioral maybe
23:31
eventually pharmarmacologic that are
23:33
specifically tailored for older adults
23:36
with CRCD not just assuming what works
23:38
for younger people will work for them
23:40
right and these tailored interventions
23:42
need to be evaluated properly using not
23:44
just the traditional cognitive tests but
23:46
also those crucial functional and
23:48
independence measures we just talked
23:49
about okay and the review circles back
23:51
again to that idea of maybe intervening
23:53
earlier potentially starting
23:55
interventions concurrently with cancer
23:57
therapy especially for older adults okay
24:00
so if we try to pull back and summarize
24:02
this whole deep dive it seems really
24:04
clear that cognition cancer and aging
24:06
are complexely linked deeply linked yeah
24:09
and this cancer related cognitive
24:11
decline CRCD it's a very real and
24:14
significant concern for older patients
24:17
getting that baseline cognitive
24:19
evaluation before treatment
24:20
understanding the individual risk
24:22
factors those seem like critical
24:23
starting points absolutely critical and
24:25
while there are promising interventions
24:27
out there especially the behavioral ones
24:29
like cognitive rehab and exercise the
24:32
evidence specifically for older adults
24:34
really needs to be strengthened through
24:36
more focused research right and
24:38
currently no proven drug treatments
24:41
exist and dedicated studies for this
24:43
specific vulnerable population are
24:45
urgently needed so why does all this
24:47
matter to you listening to us now i
24:49
think the review makes it incredibly
24:50
clear for older adults who are facing a
24:53
cancer diagnosis trying to maintain
24:55
cognitive function trying to stay
24:56
independent that's a huge concern it
24:58
ranks right up there alongside wanting
25:00
the best possible cancer outcome they
25:02
often go handinand as patient priorities
25:05
and experts clinicians researchers
25:07
they're actively working towards
25:09
achieving both trying to personalize
25:11
care to balance getting effective cancer
25:14
treatment with preserving cognitive
25:16
health and daily function as much as
25:18
possible it really is about treating the
25:20
whole person considering all their goals
25:22
and priorities not just focusing
25:24
narrowly on the disease itself which
25:26
leads us to a final thought maybe
25:28
something for you to maul over
25:30
considering all these links the source
25:32
highlights between things like frailty
25:34
other health conditions you might have
25:36
the cognitive reserve you've built up
25:38
over your lifetime and then the risk of
25:39
CRCD if you face cancer it raises a
25:43
really interesting question doesn't it m
25:45
beyond the specific cancer treatment
25:47
choices how much could proactively
25:49
managing your overall health throughout
25:51
life things like staying physically
25:52
active keeping other chronic conditions
25:54
like diabetes or heart disease well
25:56
controlled consistently engaging your
25:58
brain with stimulating activities how
26:01
much could that potentially act as a
26:02
buffer could it help protect against
26:04
severe cognitive impacts later on
26:06
especially when facing a major challenge
26:08
like cancer it's a really powerful
26:10
question about prevention and resilience
26:12
isn't it something definitely worth
26:14
thinking about
#Aging & Geriatrics
#Cancer
#Mental Health