In this episode on systemic, non-CNS cancer therapies and brain health, with Drs. Michael Parsons and Jorg Dietrich, we discuss basic concepts in cancer biology, the impact of cancer therapies on cognition, mechanisms by which non-CNS treatments impact brain health, the role of the immune system in treatment, immune system overactivation and cognitive side effects, the burgeoning field of cancer neuroscience, and the role of neuropsychologists in assessment, management, and treatment of patients with systemic cancers.
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Guest disclosures: Dr. Parsons has received consulting fees from Servier Pharma for consulting activities, and author royalties from the American Psychological Association. He has a professional relationship with the American Board of Clinical Neuropsychology as a board member. Dr. Dietrich has received consulting fees from Novartis and Johnson & Johnson for consulting activities, and royalties from Wolters Kluwer as an author for UpToDate.
About Jorg
Jorg Dietrich, M.D., Ph.D., is the Clinical Director of the Cancer & Neurotoxicity Clinic and Director of the Brain Repair Research Program at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Cancer Center, Associate Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School, and Attending Physician at MGH.
His clinical interests are management of patients with benign and malignant brain tumors and neurologic complications of cancer therapy, including toxicity from radiation, chemotherapy, and immunotherapies. His research activities include clinical, translational, and basic research in the fields of brain tumor biology, cancer neuroscience, neurotoxicity from cancer therapies and brain repair mechanisms.
His work has contributed to the field of Cancer Neuroscience by studying neuronal and glial biology in the context of brain cancer and the impact of cancer therapies on the brain cellular microenvironment. Dr. Dietrich is the author of over 200 original research publications. His work has been supported by the National Institute of Health, the American Cancer Society, the American Academy of Neurology, and several other foundations.
About Mike
Michael W. Parsons, PhD, ABPP is a clinical neuropsychologist in the Pappas Neuro-Oncology Center and Associate Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Oncology at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School. His clinical and research activities focus on the cognitive and behavioral consequences brain tumors, systemic cancer, and cancer therapy. The goals of his research are to understand how cancer and its treatments affect neural systems and to develop treatments for these problems. He is the author of numerous peer reviewed manuscripts and book chapters related to these issues. He provides neuropsychological evaluations for adults with cancer, addressing the cognitive issues that are caused by cancer and its treatment. He was a founding co-chair of the Oncology Special Interest group of the International Neuropsychological Society and serves on the Board of Directors and as a board examiner for the American Board of Clinical Neuropsychology. Dr. Parsons is a Diplomate of the American Board of Clinical Neuropsychology and currently serves as an ABCN oral examiner and member of its board of directors.
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