New evidence shows chemotherapy, radiation cancer treatments may be linked to decline in cognitive performance

Health + Behavior - UCLA RESEARCH ALERT - Duane Bates - FINDINGS - UCLA researchers conducted a study of breast cancer survivors to better understand if lower activity of telomerase (an enzyme that helps maintain the health of cells) along with DNA damage (a factor in cellular aging) were associated with worse cognitive performance, such as attention and motor skills. The study showed that lower telomerase activity and more DNA damage were associated with worse cognitive performance. BACKGROUND. Cancer treatments may accelerate biological aging in cells. A previous UCLA study published in npj Breast Cancer in December 2017 linked lower telomerase activity and more DNA damage with exposure to chemotherapy and radiation. Researchers assessed 94 women after they completed three to six years of breast cancer treatment. The researchers found that those who had been exposed to chemotherapy and/or radiation showed elevated levels of DNA damage in their blood cells, and lower telomerase activity, compared to women who had previously undergone surgery alone.