Hippocampal volume reduction after chemotherapy assessed by brain MRI: a cause of chemobrain in cancer patients

Abstract

Purpose:Cancer treatment (chemotherapy) affects various neural parts of the brain which results in cognitiveimpairments as problems in working memory, concentration, speed of processing and responding, and speech.This condition is called “chemobrain”. The aim of this study is to establish whether any change exists in thevolume of certain brain parts before and after chemotherapy that might play a role in chemobrain by means ofmagnetic resonance imaging (MRI).Materials and methods: Eleven patients with various cancers underwent cranial MRI before and afterchemotherapy. 3-dimensional reconstruction from coronal 2 dimensional images were obtained by SURFDriverprogram. Volume calculations of cerebrum, cerebellum, ventricles, right and left hippocampus were done byCavalieri method.Results:According to measurements there was a statistically significant difference only in the volumes of rightand left hippocampus before and after chemotherapy (p<0.05). The volumes of the hippocampus on both sidesdecreased after chemotherapy.Conclusion:This study revealed significant volume changes in the hippocampus of cancer patients afterchemotherapy. We suggest that this volume reduction in hippocampal regions might be the explanation ofchemobrain seen in cancer patient during and after chemotherapy