Cognitive Impairment from Breast Cancer Chemotherapy in the Perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Abstract

In recent years, the incidence of breast cancer has been on the rise globally and in China. The conventional treatment methods for breast cancer include surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, endocrine therapy, targeted therapy, traditional Chinese medicine, and other biological immunotherapy. In the treatment of breast cancer, the status of chemotherapy drugs is unshakable, and the related toxic side effects have gradually attracted people's attention. Doxorubicin is an anthracycline drug, which is the cornerstone drug for adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer. It exerts anti-tumor effects by inserting DNA and inhibiting topoisomerase II, but it can also cause severe neurotoxicity by crossing the blood-brain barrier, clinically manifested as memory and executive function decline, etc., which has a huge impact on the patient's work and life. With the development of modern medicine, the advantages of traditional Chinese medicine in preventing and treating adverse reactions related to breast cancer and improving patients' quality of life are increasingly being recognized. Traditional Chinese medicine classifies chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment into related diseases such as "dementia", "brain marrow depletion", and "forgetfulness" based on its main clinical symptoms, and achieves the therapeutic effect of improving chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment through clinical differentiation and coordinating relevant therapies, providing a scientific basis for the treatment of adverse reactions related to malignant tumors by traditional Chinese medicine in radiotherapy and chemotherapy.