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Cancer Patients Should Ask Doctors to Use Simple Terms
Posted 28 Sep 2011 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 28 – Cancer patients are often faced with many difficult-to-understand treatment choices that can have serious side effects and even mean the difference between life and death. That's why it's crucial that patients insist doctors use plain language in explaining the options, advised Angela Fagerlin, an associate professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School and a researcher at the U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center. "People are making life and death decisions that may affect their survival and they need to know what they're getting themselves into. Cancer treatments and tests can be serious. Patients need to know what kind of side effects they might experience as a result of the treatment they undergo," Fagerlin said in a university news release. She and her colleagues outlined a number of tips to help patients get the information they need ... Read more
Related support groups: Cancer, Methotrexate, Provera, Breast Cancer, Lupron, Accutane, Prostate Cancer, Depo-Provera, Tamoxifen, Femara, Arimidex, Lupron Depot, Medroxyprogesterone, Claravis, Gleevec
Cell Phones May Cause Brain Cancer, WHO Experts Say
Posted 31 May 2011 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, May 31 – Cell phones may cause brain cancer, a panel of experts reporting to the World Health Organization (WHO) announced Tuesday. After reviewing dozens of studies that explored a possible link between cancer and the ubiquitous hand-held phones, the experts classified cell phones as "possibly carcinogenic to humans" and placed them in the same category as the pesticide DDT and gasoline engine exhaust. The panel determined that an increased risk for glioma, a malignant form of brain cancer, appears associated with wireless phone use. Globally, it's estimated that 5 billion cell phones are in use. "The number of users is large and growing, particularly among young adults and children," the International Agency for Research on Cancer said in a news release issued Tuesday. The IARC made the announcement in Lyons, France, based on the work of 31 scientists from 14 countries. It ... Read more
Related support groups: Malignant Glioma
Managing Chemoradiation Side Effects May Prolong Survival
Posted 23 Apr 2011 by Drugs.com
FRIDAY, April 22 – Brain cancer patients live longer if neurological side effects from chemoradiation can be minimized, a new study says. U.S. researchers analyzed the records of 2,761 patients with high-grade gliomas – the most common primary brain tumor – who were enrolled in 14 Radiation Therapy Oncology Group studies between 1983 and 2003. Patients who didn't experience neurological side effects, such as fatigue and memory loss, during chemoradiation lived an average of four months longer than those who had such effects, said the team at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. Chemoradiation involves giving patients chemotherapy and radiation treatments together. Side effects were most likely to occur in patients who were older, frailer, had more symptoms and were receiving radiation twice a day. The researchers said their findings suggest that ... Read more
Related support groups: Brain Tumor, Malignant Glioma
Brain Tumor Vaccine Shows Promise in Early Trials
Posted 11 Apr 2011 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, April 11 – A vaccine that jumpstarts the immune system is showing promise in keeping a deadly type of cancerous brain tumor at bay. Glioblastoma, or malignant glioma, is the most common type of cancerous brain tumor. It's also deadly – most people die about 12 to 14 months after diagnosis, said Dr. Isaac Yang, a neurosurgeon at University of California, Los Angeles, and lead author of a study on the vaccine. Sen. Ted Kennedy died from a glioblastoma in 2009. In the clinical trials, researchers created individualized vaccines for 34 patients using brain tumor tissue and the patient's own dendritic cells, which are part of the immune system. When joined together in a vaccine, introducing the tumor cells to the dendritic cells "trains" the immune system to recognize cancer cells and mount an attack, the researchers said. About 91 percent of patients who received the vaccine were ... Read more
Related support groups: Malignant Glioma
Fewer Cancer Patients May Be Depressed Than Thought
Posted 20 Jan 2011 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, Jan. 20 – The rate of depression among cancer patients may be lower than previously believed, a new study indicates. An international team of researchers analyzed 94 studies involving more than 14,000 patients and found that about one-sixth of cancer patients suffer depression and about one-third have a more widely defined mood disorder. Only modest rates of depression and anxiety occurred in cancer patients in the first five years after diagnosis, which suggests that depression is not inevitable in these patients, the researchers said. Only when it was combined with other mood disorders was depression common, occurring in 30 percent of hospitalized cancer patients. The study is published online Jan. 19 in The Lancet Oncology. Rates of depression and anxiety were not significantly different between patients receiving palliative care (care designed to ease pain and increase ... Read more
Related support groups: Cancer, Breast Cancer, Prostate Cancer, Lung Cancer, Breast Cancer, Metastatic, Colorectal Cancer, Brain Tumor, Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, Skin Cancer, Pancreatic Cancer, Renal Cell Carcinoma, Ovarian Cancer, Osteosarcoma, Basal Cell Carcinoma, Breast Cancer -- Adjuvant
1 in 5 Cancer Survivors Suffers Chronic Pain, Study Finds
Posted 20 Jan 2011 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 19 – More than 40 percent of cancer survivors experience pain, and the risk is highest among black and female patients, finds a new study. Researchers at the University of Michigan Health System surveyed nearly 200 U.S. cancer survivors and found that 43 percent had experienced pain since their diagnosis, and 20 percent suffered chronic cancer-related pain at least two years later. Among white patients, the most significant source of pain was cancer surgery (53.8 percent), and among black patients the greatest source of pain was cancer treatment (46.2 percent), according to the report. In addition, the study found that compared to men, women had more pain, more pain flare-ups, more disability due to pain and were more depressed because of pain. The authors also noted that black patients were more likely to report greater severity of pain and more pain-related ... Read more
Related support groups: Cancer, Breast Cancer, Prostate Cancer, Lung Cancer, Breast Cancer, Metastatic, Colorectal Cancer, Brain Tumor, Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, Pancreatic Cancer, Skin Cancer, Renal Cell Carcinoma, Osteosarcoma, Ovarian Cancer, Basal Cell Carcinoma, Breast Cancer -- Adjuvant
Demand for Radiation Therapy Predicted to Exceed Supply
Posted 21 Oct 2010 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, Oct. 21 – Over the next decade, the growth in demand for radiation therapy in the United States will be 10 times greater than the increase in new radiation oncologists, a difference that could affect cancer patients' access to treatment, according to a new study. Between 2010 and 2020, the number of patients requiring radiation therapy will increase 22 percent but the number of full-time radiation oncologists entering the workforce will increase just 2 percent, said researchers at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and colleagues. They based their predictions on projections that this year 3,943 radiation oncologists will treat an estimated 470,000 patients in the United States. The large increase in demand for radiation therapy will be partly due to growing numbers of older adults and minorities, groups in which certain types of cancers are more ... Read more
Related support groups: Cancer, Breast Cancer, Prostate Cancer, Lung Cancer, Breast Cancer, Metastatic, Colorectal Cancer, Brain Tumor, Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, Pancreatic Cancer, Skin Cancer, Renal Cell Carcinoma, Osteosarcoma, Ovarian Cancer, Basal Cell Carcinoma, Breast Cancer -- Adjuvant
Can Coffee, Tea Lower Brain Cancer Risk?
Posted 20 Oct 2010 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 20 – Researchers have discovered that coffee and tea might do more than boost your energy levels: Regular consumption of the world's two most popular beverages may also shield you against a form of brain cancer. In fact, the latest research suggests that those who drink as little as a half cup or so of coffee per day may lower brain cancer risk by as much as 34 percent. Lead researcher Dominique S. Michaud, of Brown University's department of community health in Providence, heads an international team that reports the finding in the November issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The notion that coffee and tea might accrue an anti-cancer health benefit to regular drinkers builds on previous research that has indicated that the beverages may also lower the risk for both Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. The current effort explored the possibility that ... Read more
Related support groups: Malignant Glioma
Cancer Patients' Secondary Symptoms Need Attention: Study
Posted 11 Oct 2010 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, Oct. 11 – Many cancer patients with pain or depression also experience physical symptoms, such as fatigue, dry mouth and nausea, that can cause disability, a new study shows. Doctors need to recognize and treat these symptoms in order to improve quality of life for cancer patients, said Dr. Kurt Kroenke, of the Richard Roudebush VA Medical Center, Indiana University, and Regenstrief Institute Inc. in Indianapolis, and colleagues. They analyzed data from 405 cancer patients who had either pain or depression and found that all the patients had at least one of 22 physical symptoms examined in the study. More than half of patients reported 15 of the 22 symptoms. The most common symptoms were fatigue (97.5 percent), difficulty sleeping (about 79 percent), pain in limbs or joints (78 percent), back pain (nearly 75 percent) and memory problems (72 percent). The patients also reported ... Read more
Related support groups: Cancer, Breast Cancer, Prostate Cancer, Lung Cancer, Breast Cancer, Metastatic, Colorectal Cancer, Brain Tumor, Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, Skin Cancer, Pancreatic Cancer, Renal Cell Carcinoma, Ovarian Cancer, Osteosarcoma, Basal Cell Carcinoma, Breast Cancer -- Adjuvant
Many Docs Deliver Cancer Diagnosis Badly: Study
Posted 7 Jul 2010 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, July 7 – One patient found out he had cancer by reading his radiology report. Another got the news when her neurologist called to say he had arranged for her to see a neurosurgeon. When she asked why, the doctor told her she had a brain tumor and hung up. A third learned she had breast cancer listening to her answering machine with her grandson sitting on her lap. A new study about how people learn of cancer diagnoses finds that many doctors have poor communication skills and often leave patients stranded with devastating information about a deadly illness, sometimes in a public setting. One-third of the cancer patients in the U.S. National Cancer Institute study recalled being told on the phone, in an emergency room, radiology department or other public hospital setting that they had cancer, most often leukemia, lymphoma or brain tumors. "It's really dismaying to think that ... Read more
Related support groups: Cancer, Breast Cancer, Prostate Cancer, Lung Cancer, Breast Cancer, Metastatic, Colorectal Cancer, Brain Tumor, Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, Pancreatic Cancer, Skin Cancer, Renal Cell Carcinoma, Osteosarcoma, Ovarian Cancer, Basal Cell Carcinoma, Breast Cancer -- Adjuvant
Cost-Conscious Cancer Survivors Skip Care
Posted 14 Jun 2010 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, June 14 – Millions of Americans with a history of cancer, particularly people under age 65, are delaying or skimping on medical care because of worries about the cost of treatment, a new study suggests. The finding raises troubling questions about the long-term survival and quality of life of the 12 million adults in the United States whose lives have been forever changed by a diagnosis of cancer. "I think it's concerning because we recognize that cancer survivors have many medical needs that persist for years after their diagnosis and treatment," said study lead author Kathryn E. Weaver, an assistant professor in the Department of Social Sciences & Health Policy at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, N.C. The report was published online June 14 in Cancer, a journal of the American Cancer Society. Cost concerns have posed a threat to cancer ... Read more
Related support groups: Cancer, Breast Cancer, Prostate Cancer, Lung Cancer, Breast Cancer, Metastatic, Colorectal Cancer, Brain Tumor, Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, Skin Cancer, Pancreatic Cancer, Renal Cell Carcinoma, Ovarian Cancer, Osteosarcoma, Basal Cell Carcinoma, Breast Cancer -- Adjuvant
Pain Relief Often Delayed for Cancer Patients
Posted 16 Mar 2010 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, March 16 – Palliative care services, which help people who are seriously ill relieve symptoms such as pain, are now found at most U.S. cancer centers, but many programs don't interact with patients until it's too late, study findings show. Dr. David Hui, of the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, and his colleagues surveyed 71 U.S. National Cancer Institute-designated cancer centers and randomly surveyed 71 other cancer centers. They received responses from 71 percent of 142 executives and 82 percent of 120 program leaders. The researchers also found that the NCI cancer centers were more likely to have palliative care programs and physicians. A report on the survey was published in the March 17 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. "Palliative care outpatient clinics, inpatient consultation teams, palliative care units and hospices ... Read more
Related support groups: Cancer, Breast Cancer, Prostate Cancer, Lung Cancer, Breast Cancer, Metastatic, Colorectal Cancer, Brain Tumor, Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, Skin Cancer, Pancreatic Cancer, Renal Cell Carcinoma, Osteosarcoma, Ovarian Cancer, Basal Cell Carcinoma, Breast Cancer -- Adjuvant
Kids Who Beat Cancer Still Face Heart Risks
Posted 9 Dec 2009 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 9 – Survivors of childhood cancer have a significantly increased risk for developing heart disease as young adults, a new study finds. The finding came from an analysis of data on 14,358 five-year cancer survivors who were diagnosed before age 21 and 3,899 siblings of cancer survivors. The cancers were leukemia, brain cancer, Hodgkin's lymphoma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, kidney cancer, neuroblastoma, soft tissue carcinoma or bone cancer. The study found that young adult survivors of these childhood cancers are much more likely than others in their age group to have cardiovascular problems, including heart failure, heart attack, heart inflammation and heart valve abnormalities, for up to 30 years after being treated for cancer. They also found that the risk was associated with lower exposure to chemotherapy and radiation treatment than previously thought. "Young adults who ... Read more
Related support groups: Hairy Cell Leukemia, Leukemia, Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML), Brain Tumor, Renal Cell Carcinoma, Osteosarcoma, Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL), Acute Myeloid Leukemia, Glioblastoma Multiforme, Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Pituitary Tumor, Hodgkin's Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia, Malignant Glioma
U.S. Cancer Cases, Deaths Continue to Drop
Posted 8 Dec 2009 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, Dec. 7 – Better screening, healthier living and new treatments have all continued to help cut the annual number of cancer cases and deaths in the United States, a new report says. The findings showed that new cancer cases and deaths from cancer have declined significantly for both men and women and for most racial/ethnic populations. These decreases were largely due to decreased incidence and death from lung, prostate and colon cancer among men and a drop in two of the three leading cancers in women (breast and colon cancers). New diagnoses for all types of cancer in the United States declined almost 1 percent per year from 1999 to 2006 and cancer deaths dropped 1.6 percent per year from 2001 to 2006. The report, which appears in the Dec. 7 online edition of Cancer, was compiled from data by the American Cancer Society, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the ... Read more
Related support groups: Cancer, Breast Cancer, Prostate Cancer, Lung Cancer, Breast Cancer, Metastatic, Colorectal Cancer, Brain Tumor, Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, Skin Cancer, Pancreatic Cancer, Renal Cell Carcinoma, Osteosarcoma, Ovarian Cancer, Basal Cell Carcinoma, Breast Cancer -- Adjuvant
Delivering Chemo Directly Into Brain Tumors Shows Promise
Posted 4 May 2009 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, May 4 – Using a catheter to deliver chemotherapy drugs directly into a deadly type of brain tumor is showing promise in early clinical trials, researchers report. Malignant gliomas are difficult to treat using standard chemotherapy and radiation treatments. Only about 3 percent of patients diagnosed with a malignant glioma survive five years or more, according to background information in the study. With the new method, researchers inserted catheters carrying the chemotherapy drug Topotecan (Hycamtin) directly into the tumors of 16 patients with recurrent malignant gliomas. The patients who received the Topotecan had a median survival of 59 weeks, although a few patients lived much longer. The median time to tumor progression was 20 weeks, and 77 percent of patients survived for at least six months. "Those numbers are better than any treatment for recurrent gliomas we have ... Read more
Related support groups: Malignant Glioma