Surviving cancer may come with neurological side effects as well.
Jenny M. Munson, professor and director at the Cancer Research Center – Roanoke at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech, determines why this is.
Faculty Bio:
Tracking fluid flow to understand cancer, aging and women’s health.
How does the pace of fluid flow affect tumor spread and memory loss?
In the Munson Lab, we study the tumor microenvironment in cancers, including glioblastoma, the deadliest form of brain cancer. Our research focuses on the emerging research area of fluid flow. Cancer’s invasion of the brain follows distinctive routes that correlate with interstitial and bulk flow pathways. In brain cancer, fluid flow increases between cells within the tissue, specifically across the invasive edge of the tumor where cells are prone to both interact with the surrounding brain tissue and to evade localized, transport-limited therapies. We believe fluid flow can alter how a tumor responds to drug therapies. Not only is fluid flow important in cancer, but also is a contributor to normal function in tissues and other diseases. To this end, we are translating many of our methods and hypotheses to understand the role of fluid flow in immunity, aging, and women’s health.
Our methods combine in vivo imaging methodology with in vitro tissue engineered models to examine the role of interstitial fluid flow and the cellular components of the microenvironment in cancer progression and treatment. We use patient-derived cells to create personalized models of disease to test hypotheses related to fluid and tissue transport in tumors and the brain and to identify new drug targets and treatment approaches.
Our goal is to find new targets in the tissue microenvironment by examining cancer and disease in the proper context, which includes dynamic fluid flows, multiple cell types, and patient-specific parameterization. By including the proper tissue environment, we believe that we can better identify underlying causes and contributors to disease and thus be better able to target and test new drugs for patients.
Transcript:
Chemotherapy saves lives, but many patients experience lingering “chemo brain” — problems with memory, focus, and mental clarity. Women, especially those treated for breast cancer, are disproportionately affected.
We investigated whether the brain’s lymphatic system — vessels that clear waste and help regulate immune function — might play a role. Using a three-tiered approach that combined animal models and the first human tissue-engineered model of meningeal lymphatics, we studied how two common chemotherapy drugs affect this system.
Both drugs disrupted lymphatic health, but the effects were strongest with docetaxel. Vessels became smaller, with fewer loops and branches — clear signs of impaired growth, regeneration, and function. To confirm functional deficit, we used advanced MRI and showed reduced movement of fluid in the brain.
When mice treated with docetaxel were given memory tests, they performed worse, linking these structural changes to cognitive dysfunction. The pattern resembles what we see in other conditions tied to poor lymphatic drainage of the brain, such as Alzheimer’s disease.
These findings suggest that chemo brain may partly arise from damage to the brain’s lymphatic system. That raises the possibility of new therapies aimed not at the cancer itself, but at preserving cognitive health — through pharmaceuticals, lifestyle changes like sleep and exercise, or other interventions.
By revealing how chemotherapy reshapes the lymphatic system, this work underscores the importance of addressing not only cancer survival, but also the long-term neurological side effects that shape quality of life.
Read More:
[VT News] - Unraveling the secrets of ‘chemo brain’
