Diagnosis of  chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment

Cognitive disorders may be the result of chemotherapy used in oncology patients. This ailment, otherwise known as chemobrain, reduces the quality of everyday life, which is prolonged due to the use of chemotherapeutic agents. The neurotoxicity of the drugs used seems responsible for this, resulting in disturbances in the structure and function of the nervous tissue of the central nervous system. The resulting pathological changes are detectable through a properly conducted diagnostic process. Currently, there are no specific guidelines for the diagnosis of chemobrain. However, using methods in psychology, laboratory, and imaging diagnostics seems promising. Psychological tests allow the use of standardized questionnaires to objectively assess the symptoms of cognitive dysfunction reported by the patient. Laboratory analysis of body fluids enables the detection of characteristic biomarkers. On the other hand, imaging of the structures of the central nervous system allows the identification of pathologically changed brain regions, resulting in the development of the described disorders. Nevertheless, subjective and physical examination of an oncological patient after chemotherapy plays a key role in making the correct clinical diagnosis. The earlier the cognitive dysfunction is diagnosed, the greater the chance of therapeutic success of the currently proposed treatment methods. This publication presents a review of the available literature on the methods of chemobrain diagnostics.