Transcranial photobiomodulation for the treatment of chemobrain: new perspectives from a pilot study

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to study the effect of transcranial stimulation with photobiomodulation (tPBM) in patients suffering from chemobrain. METHOD: Patients referred to a consultation dedicated to the management of post-chemotherapy cognitive impairment were included. The FACT-Cog (overall score and subscale) French version was used to assess perceived cognitive impairment and impact on quality of life for each patient before and at the end of tPBM treatment. All patients included were treated for chemobrain using transcranial stimulation by PBM for a minimum of 10 weeks (10 sessions, 1 session per week). The PBM consisted of transcranial stimulation delivered using a Vielight Neuro Duo 4® PBM device (in Gamma mode) for 20 min. Differences between pre- and post-treatment proportions were assessed with the McNemar test for paired data. Differences between FACT-Cog scores (total score and subscale) were assessed by the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. RESULTS: Thirty-one women were included (mean age 52.1 ± 9.0 years). Mean total FACT-Cog score prior to tPBM was 63.3 ± 19.8. After the course of tPBM sessions, the mean total FACT-Cog score was 101.2 ± 20.1 (p < 0.001). Twenty-nine patients improved cognitive performance and, in 9 patients (29.0%), the FACT-Cog score had normalized. There was no significant difference between the proportion with anxiety or depression before vs after tPBM (p = 0.22 for anxiety, p = 0.62 for depression). CONCLUSION: Transcranial stimulation by PBM shows therapeutic perspectives for the management of chemobrain.