“ . . . 18 - fluorodeoxyglucose - PET / CT is capable of detecting group - level metabolic changes in specific brain regions prior to and postchemotherapy . ” Marc

Chemo brain The National Cancer Institute estimates that there were 13.7 million Americans with a history of cancer still alive in January of 2012 [101]. Over 1.6 million new cases of cancer are anticipated this year in the USA alone [101]. Common treatments for cancer include surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. It is estimated that 25% of cancer patients receive chemotherapy [102]. Due to substantial progress made in the treatment of cancer, more individuals are currently living with a history of cancer than dying from cancer. We are now paying the price for the success we have in curing many cancers by having a large number of cancer survivors living with some of the short-term and long-term side effects of chemotherapy. One such area of interest is the phenomenon of chemo brain or, more specifically, the aggregate of cognitive changes reported by cancer patients after receiving chemotherapy. Rates of cognitive changes following chemotherapy range from 15 to 75% [1,101]. The most frequently reported cognitive changes include declines in concentration, speed of processing and memory retrieval [1,2]. Early studies of cognitive functioning following chemotherapy had many confounds, while more recent prospective studies have included healthy controls, as well as comparison patients with cancer who did not undergo chemotherapy. These studies and others that control for distinct factors that tend to affect cognition, such as fatigue and depression, clearly support the existence of the phenomenon of chemo brain [3–5]. While cognitive symptoms