A study out of Singapore, published in Annals of Oncology in March of 2012, showed that breast cancer patients treated with chemotherapy had symptoms of chemobrain manifested by memory loss, difficulty in decision making and speech problems. Patients were generally not aware they had symptoms because they attributed them to fatigue, anxiety, and mood changes related to the physical side effects of chemotherapy. They were unable to fulfill their duties as mothers and wives because of their cognitive defects.
Chemotherapy is overused in this country in both people with mild disease that don't really benefit much from treatment and those who are stage 4 and only respond between 2-3% of the time. It is interesting that oncologists generally don't take the same aggressive treatment themselves that they recommend to their patients.