Understanding and Managing Brain-Related Side Effects of Blood Cancer Treatments

As part of Mental Health Awareness Month, we’ll cover the causes, symptoms, and ways to manage brain-related side effects (difficulty thinking, headaches, etc.) that can happen from blood cancer treatment. 

How Blood Cancer Treatments and Other Risk Factors May Impact Brain Function

Several factors can contribute to changes in brain function as a result of blood cancer treatment.

The treatments themselves, like chemotherapy, targeted therapy, radiation, and immunotherapy, can affect brain health by:

• Crossing the barrier that protects your brain and directly impacting brain cells.
• Triggering inflammation through immune system activation, which clouds brain function. 
• Remaining oxidative stress after treatment—caused by too many free radicals and not enough antioxidants—can damage healthy cells and trigger inflammation, affecting areas like the brain. 

Factors That Increase Your Risk 

Having certain health conditions before starting blood cancer treatment can raise the risk of brain-related side effects afterward. These include past cognitive issues (memory loss or trouble concentrating), anemia, mood disorders, chronic stress, hormone imbalances, high blood pressure, poor sleep, nutrient deficiencies, diabetes, systemic inflammation, or recurring infections, among others. 

Even without treatment, cancer cells can increase inflammation in the body, which may dampen brain function.

What Do Symptoms Look Like? 

The brain-related symptoms you may experience from certain blood cancer treatments may include:

• Mild to moderate symptoms: trouble thinking clearly, confusion, fatigue, headaches
• More serious issues (rare): difficulty speaking, tremors, seizures

These symptoms are sometimes called chemo brain, brain fog, cognitive impairment, neurological issues, or ICANS (immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome). They can be short-term or last longer, but in either case, it is important to communicate with your care team if you are experiencing any of these symptoms for the first time or if they are worsening. 

Tips for Recovery

If your brain-related symptoms aren’t improving over time, it’s important to get help. Here are some supportive strategies: 

• Consult with your blood cancer specialist: Talk to your doctor about ways to manage treatment side effects. For example, if you're experiencing headaches from a cancer therapy, ask what can help. They might recommend adding a headache-relief medication, adjusting the dose, or switching to a different treatment.
• Nutrition support: Work with a registered dietitian to reduce inflammation and address nutrient gaps that directly impact brain health.
• Visit a functional neurologist: See a functional neurologist who can pinpoint which areas of your brain need support and create a personalized therapy plan using targeted eye, hand, or balance exercises to help strengthen them. They may also suggest adding certain medications. This differs from a neurologist, who focuses mostly on medication to treat symptoms.
• Mental health support: A licensed therapist can help you manage stress, anxiety, or trauma, and teach coping skills—like mindfulness and breathing techniques—that may reduce inflammation and improve your quality of life.
• Lifestyle habits: Getting enough sleep, staying hydrated, exercising moderately, and eating nutrient-dense foods can support brain health. 

Coping support: As you work to regain full cognitive function, tips like using a planner, taking frequent breaks, and doing brain-stimulating activities like puzzles or reading can help you support yourself during recovery.

Key Takeaways

Brain-related side effects from blood cancer treatments can occur and range from mild brain fog to more serious neurological issues. 

While these changes can be influenced by the treatments themselves and pre-existing health conditions, there are several supportive strategies—from nutrition and functional neurological therapy to mental health care and lifestyle habits—that may help manage symptoms and promote recovery. 

Even if side effects are expected, working closely with your care team is key to finding the right solutions for your cognitive health and overall well-being. 

Discover Patient-Reported Side Effect Solutions

Want to share side effects you've experienced during treatment and what helped you manage them? Or curious about what’s worked for other patients? Use HealthTree’s patient-reported side effect solutions tool to learn and contribute below! 

Access Side Effect Solutions

Sources: 

• Chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment (CICI): An overview of etiology and pathogenesis
• The Whole Story about Chemo Brain and Cognitive Dysfunction
• Selective effects of acute low-grade inflammation on human visual attention
• Oxidative Stress and Cognitive Alterations Induced by Cancer Chemotherapy Drugs: A Scoping Review
• Functional Neurology vs. a Neurologist
• What type of brain inflammation do you suffer from?
• How Metabolic and Nutritional Therapy Can Improve Your Cognitive Function
• Inflammation and cancer
• The Whole Story about Chemo Brain and Cognitive Dysfunction
• Neurological complications of new chemotherapy agents