Chemotherapy connected to harsh side effects

New research appearing in the Journal of Biology shows that even low doses of chemotherapy are killing brain cells and cancer drugs are more malignant to healthy cells than diseased cells. The study focused on the effects of cisplatin, cytarabine and carmustine on rats and found that healthy cells were still dying weeks after therapy. And the harsh therapy not only targeted the dividing cells that spread cancer, but normal cells that weren't dividing. The study at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York concludes that there is solid evidence to show that chemotherapy is responsible for memory loss, vision loss and even dementia. One expert in the field said the study should act as a wake-up call and lead to new methods to protect the brains of patients subjected to chemotherapy.

- read the USA Today report