Brain damage fears over cancer drug

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The drug, 5-fluorouracil (5-RU) is used to treat cancers of the breast, ovaries, colon, stomach, pancreas and bladder. Often it is administered as part of a multi-drug "cocktail".

Laboratory tests showed that it destroys vital cells in the brain that help to keep nerves in working order.

The findings, reported in the Journal of Biology, could explain some of the neurological side effects associated with chemotherapy.

These include memory loss, poor concentration, and in more extreme cases, seizures, impaired vision and even dementia.

The new research from the US showed that 5-RU attacks oligodendrocytes in the brain and the precursor stem cells from which they originate.

These cells play a crucial role in the central nervous system. They produce myelin, the fatty material wrapped around nerve fibres that acts like the insulation coating electrical wires.

Chief researcher Dr Mark Noble, director of the Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Institute at the University of Rochester Medical Centre in New York state, said: "This study is the first model of a delayed degeneration syndrome that involves a global disruption of the myelin-forming cells that are essential for normal neuronal function..

"It is clear that, in some patients, chemotherapy appears to trigger a degenerative condition in the central nervous system.

"Because these treatments will clearly remain the standard of care for many years to come, it is critical that we understand their precise impact on the central nervous system, and then use this knowledge as the basis for discovering means of preventing such side effects."