Impact of Chemotherapy on Glymphatic Pathway, Inflammation and Cognitive Function in Breast Cancer

Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre 

Chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment is a common problem in breast cancer patients, but its underlying mechanism remains unclear. Chemotherapy drugs can induce systemic inflammation, which may impact the nervous system by crossing the blood-brain barrier. The glymphatic system is recently found responsible for waste clearance in the brain, involving four main processes: cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) production, CSF influx into perivascular spaces, substance exchange in the white matter, and waste clearance. MRI techniques can assess these processes using four indicators: choroid plexus volume, volume fraction of perivascular space (PVSVF), volume fraction of free water in white matter (FW-WM), and diffusivity along the perivascular space (ALPS). This study aims to investigate the longitudinal changes in glymphatic function during neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer patients and explore their relationship with cognitive and inflammatory markers.