Neuropsychiatric disorders in cancer patients

Cancer and cancer treatments can directly affect the central nervous system and cause acute and chronic cognitive and emotional disturbances that have important implications for the quality of life of the patient. The literature in this area, however, has suffered from a lack of sound prospective studies and because clinical trials of cancer treatments have rarely incorporated formal neuropsychiatric assessments. This review describes recent findings on the central nervous system effects of cancer chemotherapy and treatment with immunologic agents. It also discusses several neuropsychiatric disorders seen in cancer patients that often represent diagnostic and therapeutic dilemmas.