Before chemotherapy, Stephanie Nichols prided herself on having a great memory.
“I've always said I have a memory like an elephant,” Nichols said.
But after almost 30 rounds of chemotherapy and radiation, Nichols said she finds herself repeating things she’s already said -- or not remembering what she said at all.
“Had I not known the importance of getting up and moving my body, my recovery probably would have been a little slower,” Nichols said.
About 80% of patients receiving cancer treatment report cognitive declines like memory loss, attention deficits, and an inability to multitask, researchers say. Studies show that inflammation is linked to these symptoms often referred to as “chemo brain”.
A new University of Rochester Medical Center study suggests that ibuprofen and exercise can help alleviate those symptoms.
“There's a lot of literature about exercise dampening inflammation,” said Dr. Michelle Janelsins, professor of surgery, cancer control, with University of Rochester Medicine. “So we thought, because we had also showed that inflammation was associated with cognitive worsening and cancer survivors, that exercise might be a helpful intervention.”
Janelsins and her research team at Wilmot Cancer Institute also studied the effects of a low dose of non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory ibuprofen on cognitive decline. The results show that patients benefit from both interventions, but exercise provided more relief.
“Some patients may want to exercise, some patients may not, and so this would be another option,” Janelsins said.
According to Nichols, being active has helped her better handle chemo, radiation and different medications. She said after treatment she still heads right to the gym or to a yoga class.
“It's like, if I'm doing something that's hurting my body, I want to do something that's also strengthening it at the same time,” Nichols said.
