Many cancer survivors are experiencing problems with memory and other cognitive abilities
following cancer treatment. Little is known concerning the contributions of potentially
preventive therapies on cognitive function, but animal studies have pointed to the potential
value of the medication fluoxetine in this context. We aim to determine whether six months of
fluoxetine therapy can preserve brain function in patients who have undergone chemotherapy,
and examine potential biological mechanisms for its protective effects in humans. If use of
fluoxetine in cancer patients can be validated in this manner, it will represent the first
drug demonstrated to prevent cerebral dysfunction associated with exposure to chemotherapy.
Moreover, as this involves an agent that is already FDA-cleared for other indications, widely
commercially available throughout the U.S. and other parts of the world, and relatively
inexpensive since it is obtainable in generic formulations, it would represent a
pharmacologic approach that is amenable to rapid translation to the clinical setting.
Phase:
Early Phase 1
Details
Lead Sponsor:
University of California, Los Angeles
Collaborators:
Beckman Research Institute City of Hope Medical Center