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Research indicates a drug used in chemotherapy treatment may cause brain damage after lab tests show the drug can destroy healthy brain cells.
But there were no indications that the drug in question - Fluorouracil - would be withdrawn from use. It is used for various cancers of the body including stomach, bladder, ovaries and breast.
Mental difficulties have been reported in cancer patients who take a range of drugs including Fluorouracil - and this research is a potential explanation.
The research team - from Rochester University in the US - say they have clearly seen that chemotherapy can cause brain damage in some patients.
As a result, they believe this side effect of Fluorouracil must be investigated and ways to prevent it discovered.
The problem with drug is that the research shows it causes mass disruption of the production of nerve-insulating material called myelin – which can effect communication between nerve cells.
It is believed this may lead to concentration difficulties and memory problems, and sometimes dementia, seizures and eyesight impairment.
The Rochester team have previously discovered that toxicity of three common chemotherapy drugs was more severe than cancers they were used to treat.
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