Chemo drug's effect on brain

Concerns have been raised after a study suggested that a commonly used chemotherapy drug could harm the brain.

In tests on mice, researchers at the University of Rochester and Harvard Medical School found that the drug 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) caused healthy brain cells to die off long after treatment ended.

This drug has been used in cancer treatment for more than 40 years and is often given in a 'cocktail' with other chemotherapy drugs.

It is currently used to treat breast, ovarian, stomach, colon, pancreatic and other forms of cancer.

A study published in the Journal of Biology says the drug could be one of the underlying biological causes of the side effects of chemotherapy on patients' brains.

For the study the scientists exposed both individual cell populations and mice to doses of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) in amounts comparable to those used in cancer patients.

They found that months after exposure, specific populations of cells in the central nervous system – oligodendrocytes and dividing precursor cells from which they are generated – were damaged to the extent that after six months these cells had all but disappeared in the mice.

These cells play an important role in helping signals to be transmitted rapidly in the body.

inthenews.co.uk brings you all the key responses and comment on the issue throughout the day.