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Asbestos exposure can lead to different types of disease, such as mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is an aggressive form of cancer that usually develops in the lungs, but can also develop in the abdomen and, in rarer cases, the ovaries or lining of the heart. The disease is divided into different categories, based on where it develops.

Regardless of the type of mesothelioma, there are certain symptoms that are more common than others. This includes pain in the affected area, difficulty breathing, unexplained weight loss, swelling or lumps, and fatigue.[1]

Other symptoms of mesothelioma are less clear, because the disease is rare. But all common symptoms of mesothelioma are physical, not mental. It’s not until treatment for mesothelioma is undertaken that mental side effects can become present. Like many cancers, one of the common types of treatment is chemotherapy.

In some cases, surgery will be used in patients with mesothelioma. But due to a variety of factors, including the general older age of patients, surgery is not a viable option. Chemotherapy is then used instead. Based on a study published in the Journal of Thoracic Disease in 2018, certain types of chemotherapy do show a positive response in 40 to 50 percent of patients.[2]

Unfortunately, however, chemotherapy does have its own side effects. One of the most common is known as “chemo brain.” The exact cause of “chemo brain” isn’t known, but it does present mental fogginess and other issues. For some patients, this issue lasts for a few days, while others may suffer from mental fogginess for years.[3]

“Chemo brain” may present itself in a variety of ways, such as:

  • Memory lapses
  • Trouble with concentration
  • Trouble remembering details such as names
  • Issues with simple multitasking
  • Slower thinking process
  • Inability to remember common words
  • General confusion

Combined with other issues such as stress, depression, fatigue, age and other illnesses, “chemo brain” may present itself differently from one patient to another. Because mesothelioma often happens in older patients[4] who worked hard jobs earlier in life that may have taken a toll on their body, the risk of “chemo brain,” leading to confusion, while undergoing chemotherapy to treat the cancer may be higher. However, because the true cause of “chemo brain” isn’t currently known, the risk factors aren’t clearly defined, either.

[1] https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/mesothelioma/symptoms-causes/syc-20375022

[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5830568/

[3] https://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatments-and-side-effects/physical-side-effects/changes-in-mood-or-thinking/chemo-brain.html

[4] https://www.cancer.org/cancer/malignant-mesothelioma/about/key-statistics.html