As per a new research, radiations and hormonal therapies given during breast cancer treatment can leave an adverse impact on the cognitive abilities and the effect is not only restricted to chemobrain.

The study was led by Pascal Jean-Pierre, PhD, MPH, of the University of Miami. He expressed that the cancer therapy increases the risk of memory loss in those who get the treatment, as compared to those, who don’t undergo any therapy.

Speaking at the American Association for Cancer Research Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities, Jean-Pierre said, "Chemobrain is a memory-loss phenomenon among people who have undergone chemotherapy, radiation therapy or hormonal therapy for treatment of various types of cancer".

The findings of the study are based upon the analyses of data collected in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey on 9,819 individuals. Among them, 1,305 had been treated for cancer; the researcher took others as controls. The participants in the survey had been asked if they suffered from remembrance problem or confusion.

The research found that the patients who had a history of cancer treatment were more prone to experience memory damage and possessed an odd ratio of 1.5. Factors like age, sex, race and ethnicity, education level, poverty, and general health status were also associated with memory impairment, whose probability was less than 0.01.

Thus, cancer treatment is a chief reason in causing memory loss. There is no treatment, at presently, to rectify cognitive impairment associated with cancer.