Enzymes causing psychosis?

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When my late mother in law had lung cancer she became psychotic and ended up in hospital for that. Her usual calm manner changed so much that she hit a policeman who my fil called because her unpredictability frightened him. She was a 79 year old church goer who never did a bad thing in her life. Her GP prescribed anti psychotics and it was like a switch was flicked. Back to normal after months of change. It was amazing to witness. We were told that some cancers produce an enzyme that affects the brain causing psychosis although the hospital didn’t seem to know this. My husband has aggressive prostate cancer, gleeson 9, which has been treated with 20 radiotherapy sessions and he has hormone injections 3 monthly. Lately, he seems to have irrational outbursts which are similar to how his mother started. It is not the stress of it all as he has coped well and has a positive outlook. Can you throw any light on this. Have you any experience of coming across it with other cancer patients. I’ve googled it and there’s not a lot on but mil’s GP knew of it. Thank you.

  • Hi Honey2,

    Thanks for getting in touch.

    My name is Eileen, and I am one of the Cancer Information Nurse Specialists working on the Macmillan support line. 

    I’m sorry to hear about your mother-in-law and the psychosis she experienced. I can appreciate your concerns for your husband given the irrational outbursts you have noted.

    There can be many reasons why someone with cancer might experience mental health challenges. We know that a large percentage of people affected by cancer may experience depression or anxiety. The stress of dealing with cancer and its treatment can in some vulnerable people trigger a psychotic episode.

    We know that imbalances in electrolytes in the blood can also lead to symptoms such as hallucinations, changes in behaviour and delusions. Some drugs used in the treatment of cancer such as steroids can cause issues such as psychosis. If cancer originates in the brain or spreads to the brain this can lead to psychotic symptoms. We are not aware of a particular enzyme produced by some cancers that would cause this issue.

    Regarding the outbursts your husband has experienced it’s important to make his treatment team at the hospital or his GP aware of this in order that they can review him to determine if there is an underlying cause. One side effect of hormonal treatment for prostate cancer can be changes in mood.

    I hope this was helpful but please know that you can call one of our nurses to discuss things further.

    Take care and best wishes,

     Eileen

    (Cancer Information Nurse Specialist)

    You can also speak with the Macmillan Support Line team of experts. Phone free on 0808 808 0000 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm) or send us an email

    Ref:AC

    Eileen M - Macmillan Cancer Information Nurse Specialist