Protein Requirement in Chemotherapy
September 7, 2010 by maya
Filed under What You Need To Know
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Protein Requirement in Chemotherapy
By: Jim Duffy
Cancer is the unrestrained increase of cells because of DNA injury (mutations) and often, because of an inherited propensity to develop certain tumors. Chemotherapy is mostly a cancer treatment that uses medication to prevent the increase of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping the cells from separating. Because chemotherapy targets rapidly dividing cells, healthy cells that normally grow and divide rapidly might also be affected by the cancer treatments. These include cells within the mouth and digestive tract and scalp causing nausea and balding, which are usually temporary and reversible.
Cancer and cancer treatments might have negative affects on nutrition along with psychologically in depressive disorders or nervousness. Chemotherapy might also bring about side effects that interfere with eating and digestion. The subsequent unwanted side effects are common: poor appetite, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or constipation, inflammation and sores within the mouth, changes in the way in which food tastes, and infections [Wojtaszek et al, 2002].
Whereas as normal, healthy adult could only require 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of actual body weight per day, patients udergoing chemotherapy require 1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of ideal body weight every day [Gelinas et al, 1990, Bell et al, 1996]. Because of this it is clear to see why nutrition is crucial for cancer patients going through chemotherapy. The goal for almost any cancer patient, before after as well as during treatment is always to attain an adequate amount of calories every day for weight maintenance and protein to optimize the immune system, strength, and tolerance to treatments. However, it is grueling for a number of patients to get the nutrients needed to develop healthy blood counts between chemotherapy treatments when dealing with the negative effects that come with the treatment. In cancer patients nutrition therapy is advantageous in treating uncomfortable side effects and providing the necessary nutrients to help tolerate and get through treatment, avert weightloss, and sustain general health. Nutrition therapy includes supplements high in calories and protein, and tube feedings.
In cancer patients going through chemotherapy it is critical that diet and nutrition be centered on what can be tolerated in managing the various symptoms. It’s vital to manage these symptoms while maintaining the aims for sufficient calories and protein.
The most common secondary diagnosis in people diagnosed with cancer is protein-calorie malnutrition (PCM) which stems from insufficient intake of carbohydrate, protein, and fat to satisfy metabolic requirements and/or the reduced absorption of macronutrients. [McMahon et al, 1998, Colasanto et al 2005]. Anorexia is an nearly universal side effect in people with advanced cancer because the loss of appetite or need to eat is usually gift in fifteen to twenty five percent of all cancer patients at diagnosis and may also occur as a side effect of treatments.
Good nutrition practices can help cancer patients maintain weight and also the body’s nutrition stores, offering relief from nutrition impact symptoms and improving quality of life [American Cancer Society, 2002]. Over and over again patients with inadequate nutrition practices wind up malnurished, with worse treatment uncomfortable side effects, and increased risk of infection which reduces their probabilities of survival [Vigano et al, 1994].
In an endeavor to avert losing weight cancer patients normally require a high calorie diet. They’ll additionally require a diet that’s high in protein content to forestall muscle wasting Foods which are rich in protein provide the body with amino acids, that help to assemble, fix, and sustain cells and muscle tissue, to repair wounds, also to maintain the immune system.
Your body utilizes proteins for tissue growth and repair. Cancer patients going through chemotherapy commonly go through an increase protein loss. If untreated this will cause malnutrition. Protein supplements like casein and whey help our bodies in supplying the increased demand for proteins. Unfortunately digesting abilities might be impacted by the side effects of chemotherapy. For that reason little recurrent meals of easy to digest foods need to be given every day is what is recommended. Casein meets this criterion. Casein’s capability to form a clot in the stomach that releases amino acids into the blood stream at a decelerated rate and its simple digestibility allow it to be perfect in this application. This facilitates with our body’s need for an increased supply of amino acids essential for energy and protein synthesis. Chemotherapy treatments decrease one’s immunity levels. In an effort to boost immunity one might take whey protein. In a normal person, GSH is present in the body, which prevents the formation of cancerous cells. The precursor of GSH is the amino acid cysteine which can be available in whey proteins. The concentration of important amino acids is higher in whey protein than it is in all of the vegetable proteins. It is suggested that casein and whey proteins are used to support chemotherapy nutrition since the amino acids within whey are efficiently absorbed and utilized by the body.
References
- American Cancer Society.: Nutrition for the Person with Cancer: A Guide for Patients and Families. Atlanta, Ga: American Cancer Society, Inc., 2000.
- Bell SJ, Forse, RA. Positive Nutrition for HIV Infection and AIDS. ChroniMed: Minneapolis, 1996
- Colasanto JM, Prasad P, Nash MA, Decker RH, Wilson LD.: Nutritional support of patients undergoing radiation therapy for head and neck cancer. Oncology (Huntingt). Mar;19(3):371-9, 2005
- Counous, G: Whey protein concentrates (WPC) and glutathione modulation in cancer treatment. Anticancer Research, 20: 4785-4792, 2000.
- Gelinas MD, Bell SJ, Akerman P, Blackburn GL. A practical guide to managing nutrition in cancer patients. In: Bloch AS (ed.). Nutritional Management of the Cancer Patient. Philadelphia: WB Saunders, 138-158, 1990.
- Langstein HN, Norton JA: Mechanisms of cancer cachexia. Hematol Oncol Clin North Am 5 (1): 103-23, 1991.
- McMahon K, Decker G, Ottery FD: Integrating proactive nutritional assessment in clinical practices to prevent complications and cost. Semin Oncol 25 (2 Suppl 6): 20-7, 1998.
- Tisdale MJ: Cancer cachexia. Anticancer Drugs 4 (2): 115-25, 1993.
- Vigano A, Watanabe S, Bruera E: Anorexia and cachexia in advanced cancer patients. Cancer Surv 21: 99-115, 1994.
- Walzem RL, Dillard CJ, German JB: Whey components: millennia of evolution create functionalities for mammalian nutrition: what we know and what we may be overlooking. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr, 42:353-375, 2002
- Wojtaszek CA, Kochis LM, Cunningham RS: Nutrition impact symptoms in the oncology patient. Oncology Issues 17 (2): 15-7, 2002.
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About Protica Research
Founded in 2001, Protica Research (Protica, Inc.) is a nutritional research firm specializing in the development of capsulized foods (dense nutrition in compact liquid and food forms). Protica manufactures Profect (www.profect.com), IsoMetric, Pediagro, Fruitasia and more than 100 other brands in its GMP-certified, 250,000 square foot facility. One area of specialty is the manufacturing of Medicare-approved, whey protein supplements for bariatric patients.
You can learn more about Protica at www.protica.com – Copyright – Protica Research
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Protein Requirements in Post-Operative Period
September 7, 2010 by maya
Filed under What You Need To Know
Protein Requirements in Post-Operative Period
By: Jim Duffy
When determining the correct course of treatment for post surgical patients, nutritional status is without doubt one of the important parameters to be considered. Surgical nutritional status relates to a bunch of elements of perioperative nutrition that includes both preoperative and postoperative nutritional status. Studies have verified that many early and late postoperative complications may be prevented with an acceptable nutritional status.
Klein et al. published a study in 1996 that compared two groups of patients: a previously malnourished group and another in agreeable nutritional condition. Both groups were voluntarily subjected to a lumbar spinal surgery. From the 26 with postoperative circumstances, 24 came from the malnourished group of individuals. The study recommended that the nutritional status of patients undergoing surgical procedures be checked out incredibly meticulously. The researchers propose that individuals with sub optimal nutritional parameters should be supplemented and replenished before elective surgery. Similar studies done indicate that the conclusions can be generalized for any kind of operations. Hence, special considerations should be given to malnourished and undernourished cases.
Post surgical nutrition is one of numerous elements that enable a successful recovery from a surgical intervention. Post surgical nutrition ought to be started as quickly as possible. Having an enhanced nutritional status will aid in:
- The healing of wounds
- Enhancing the response of the immune system to threats
- Fighting off infections or sepsis and
- Thwarting complications that can arise after a surgical procedure.
Amino acids come from proteins and are the basic building blocks of the body. Owing to this property, adequate protein intake is crucial for proper wound healing. Protein depletion appears to postpone wound healing by: prolonging the inflammatory part; by inhibiting fibroplasia, collagen and proteoglycan synthesis; and by inhibiting neoangiogenesis (proliferation phase) and wound remodeling.
Surgery poses great metabolic stress on the patient, with the severity of the stress relying on the severity of the wounded site. An injured patient needs more protein than a non-injured patient as a result of of the increased metabolic activity of wound healing, acute-phase protein production in response to stress, and amino acid mobilization from muscle used for hepatic gluconeogenesis.
Experimental protein depletion in animals showed a decrease in the tensile strength of wounds. During a study of 108 human patients with experimental wounds, people with either low serum protein or serum albumin had significantly weaker wounds than those with normal protein values.
Protein calorie malnutrition increases morbidity and mortality in the surgical patient. In studies conducted on hospitalized patients the findings indicated that many patients were already in a condition of malnutrition at admission. In these folks, to optimize healing and immune function and in addition to inhibit post-surgical issues an increased protein intake is advantageous.
Protein requirement
In a non-injured state, adults require just about 0.8 grams of dietary protein per kilogram of body weight daily. Elderly patients have a higher protein requirement (one-1.2 grams of dietary protein per kilogram of body weight per day) because of a decreased ability to synthesize proteins. The surgical/trauma patient will require considerably more protein. While minor surgery might not considerably increase the protein requirement, wound healing will be adversely affected unless dietary protein intake is increased if the patient is already protein malnourished. Major surgery can increase protein requirements 10% , while a patient with multiple traumas may need 75% additional protein. Special cases like burn wounds cause tremendous metabolic stress and have the greatest effect on protein needs, increasing protein need seventy five-a hundred percent.
Therapeutic modes of nutrition
Protein supplements are required to meet the increased requirement of protein for those patients in whom the protein demand outweighs the intake.. Therapeutic modes might be useful in this case.
- The best form of nutrition is oral as it is safest, cheapest and overal best quality for our bodies.
- Enteral tube nutrition may be used in patients with a functioning gastro intestinal tract to supplement oral feeding or to replace it entirely. The latter is indicated for patients who require intensive protein support.
- An additional aid to oral consumption is partial parenteral nutrition, which gives a portion of the patients daily nutritional requirements.
- TPN (total parenteral nutrition) provides all of the patient’s daily nutritional requirements. A peripheral vein may be used for short periods, however longer periods of use with concentrated solutions can readily lead to thrombosis.
Checking of weight, plasma proteins, glucose, etc should be done frequently.
Role of milk proteins in recovery process
Regardless of age, whey proteins are found to be an excellect source of protein for everyone. From a nutritional perspective, whey proteins reign supreme. It comes from the cheese and casein making process. It contains approximately 20% of the original milk proteins. Currently research is suggesting that particular components of whey protein can help with the development of new body tissue. Biological activities include immune modulation and anti inflammatory and healing effects.
Casein is basically a milk protein and is considered the most important protein fraction of milk. Caseins are synthesized in the mammary gland and are considered phosphoproteins. They possess immune modulator activity and will influence gut motility. Caseins are extraordinarily high in the amino acid glutamine, which is the most abundant amino acid found in skeletal muscles and may play a role in supporting the immune system.
References:
1. Loimaranta V., Laine M., Soderling E., et al. Effects of bovine immune and non-immune whey preparations on the composition and pH response of human dental plaque. Eur J Oral Sci 1999; 107:244-50.
- Bolke E., Orth K., Jehle P.M., et al. Enteral application of an immunoglobulin-enriched colostrum milk preparation for reducing endotoxin translocation and acute phase response in patients undergoing coronary bypass surgery–a randomized placebo-controlled pilot trial. Wien Klin Wochenschr 2002; 114:923-8.
- Zello G.A., L.J. Wykes P.B., Pencharz and R.O. Ball. (1995) Recent advances in methods of assessing the dietary amino acid requirements for adult humans. J. Nutr. 125: 2907-2915.
- Ayles H.L., R.M. Friendship and R.O. Ball. (1996) Effect of dietary particle size on gastric ulcers, assessed by endoscopic examination, and relationship between ulcer severity and growth performance of individually fed pigs. Swine Health & Prod. 4(5): 211-216.
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About Protica Research
Founded in 2001, Protica Research (Protica, Inc.) is a nutritional research firm specializing in the development of capsulized foods (dense nutrition in compact liquid and food forms). Protica manufactures Profect (www.profect.com), IsoMetric, Pediagro, Fruitasia and more than 100 other brands in its GMP-certified, 250,000 square foot facility. One area of specialty is the manufacturing of Medicare-approved, whey protein drinks for dialysis patients.
You can learn more about Protica at www.protica.com – Copyright – Protica Research
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Should You Choose Conventional or Natural Cancer Treatment? by Ally Woodrum
July 22, 2010 by maya
Filed under What You Need To Know
You have just been diagnosed with cancer, and your world has turned upside down. You are frightened of what is going to happen next, and really worried that you are going to die. You have horrible mental pictures of yourself after chemo and radiation treatment – terribly thin, hairless and in immense pain. You are afraid of conventional cancer treatments but are afraid of making a mistake when choosing a natural cancer cure. What are you going to do?
The first thing you need to understand is you can use both conventional and natural cancer treatments at the same time to treat your cancer. You can try several different natural treatments at once, and none of them will be incompatible with conventional therapies. In fact, natural cancer treatments can help you to better tolerate conventional treatments. Now your Oncologist may not agree with this, but it is true.
Cancer is a failure of the immune system. We all develop cancerous cells constantly, but it is normally no problem for our immune systems to identify the rogue cells and destroy them. Cancer occurs when your immune system has been damaged or weakened to the point where it can no longer destroy these rogue cells. So the very first thing you must do is to start boosting your immune system, you must make it stronger.
How do you start boosting your immune system? Improve your diet. Cut out sugar and sodas, fast foods and packaged foods, and start eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. If you smoke, stop immediately, today not tomorrow. Get out in the sunshine for at least 15 minutes every day and do not use sunscreen, you want your body to start producing as much vitamin D as possible. Start taking vitamins and supplements to help boost your immune system. And take a walk while you are outside soaking up the sun, start adding in some extra exercise to your day.
None of this is difficult, and it all helps strengthen your immune system. Is it enough to cure your cancer? No. But it is a great way to immediately start doing something that will help.
Contrary to what some doctors will tell you, in almost all cases you have time to wait a few weeks and do your research. If you want to start with surgery or chemotherapy or radiation and then add in some natural treatments, that is fine. If you want to go with only natural cancer treatments, that is fine, too. Take charge of your body and your treatment.
About the Author
The next thing you need to do is get one or more good books on Natural Cancer Cures and start reading and researching immediately. Do your research, make your decision, and get started. Because cancer can be cured.
Dealing with Breast Cancer
July 20, 2010 by maya
Filed under What You Need To Know
Like any other cancer, breast cancer also results in an uncontrolled growth of cells in a woman’s breast. The most common type of breast cancer occurs in the milk producing ducts and less commonly, it may occur in the fibrous connective tissues. If breast cancer is not diagnosed in time, the cancer cells may invade the lymph nodes and travel to other areas of the body. While most of it is always due to genetic abnormality, 5-10% could also be because of an abnormality inherited from the parents. You can understand this better with the help of breast cancer pictures, which are provided on various helpful websites.
According to the American Cancer Society, the following symptoms are an indication of breast cancer:
1. Swollen breasts
2. Skin irritation
3. Pain in the breasts
4. Nipple pain
5. Redness or thickening of breast skin
6. Nipple discharge other than milk
7. An underarm lump
Any unusual changes in the breast should always be handled with immediate attention. In some cases, this might just be a cyst or an infection but you must always consult a doctor as soon as you notice something wrong. Early detection is possible with the help of a routine mammogram exam, which uses low dose X-rays to examine the breast.
Information about life saving treatments can be obtained on breastcancer.org. There are several types of treatments available and all of them depend on the stage of the cancer. Depending on the MD’s diagnosis, you will either be advised a single treatment such as radiation therapy or a combination of two treatments. Hormonal therapy, for example, is a new therapy that target hormonal receptors which lead to cell growth.
Each cancer is different and while you may get a sense of comfort by sharing your story, remember that you must never make a decision based on what treatment someone else is getting. A treatment that is working for them may not work for you. Your doctor knows best.
The breast cancer organization has helped spread a lot of awareness about breast cancer. Diagnosing it in time will help in getting treatment when it is still possible. Breast cancer also proceeds through different stages and a routine mammography will help in early diagnosis.
Once the cancer has been diagnosed, your doctor will show you a series of pictures and photographs on how the cancer will proceed and the areas it can affect. Unfortunately, there is not much he or she can do if it is diagnosed in the last and final stage other than helping you adopt a healthy life style, which can help some women live longer. When the treatment is administered, you will see each mammogram becoming clearer when the cell growth starts subsiding.
This can be a tough and harrowing time for all women. If you are a man reading this and your wife or mother have been diagnosed with this disease, remember to show your love, support and care by always being there for them. Perhaps the most helpful way is to show breast cancer pictures which indicate their progress towards better health. There are several resources you can use to understand the various treatments and how you can help them in their day to day life.
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Erik G Orozco is a expert on how to find a cheap train travel. You can learn more on he’s website here http://www.cheaptrain-travel.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Erik_G_Orozco |
Being there for a friend who has cancer
July 20, 2010 by maya
Filed under What You Need To Know
For women, breast cancer is very frightening and often psychologically disturbing. Often they feel life has no value anymore and the thought of losing something very precious. Especially if cancer was already in an advanced stage and had to undergo various examinations and treatment either surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, that will be very frightening and she will become mentally down because they are often not ready to accept all these facts.
Mental disorders will often be occurred in breast cancer patients and this will worsen the disease. Experience has shown that there is a relationship between psychological state of someone with the health condition. Someone whose life is always cheerful and happy, the body will be stronger in dealing with various health problems and even endurance will increase significantly.
In patients with the dreaded disease like cancer, the fear that arises will influence and weaken the body and this is certainly not going to help these patients in the treatment of the disease. Moreover, if this patient can not accept and refuse that she has cancer, the psychological burden on her will increasingly become more disturbing and this will certainly worsen the disease or will increasingly weaken the body.
So, as a family and good friends we should give maximum support for women who had breast cancer so they do not feel their life were over and felt worthless. We must stay beside them and always accompanied when they must fight against this disease and this support is very important because when they felt calm and keep the spirit alive then everything will get better, their body will become stronger to fight his cancer. Being There For a Friend Who Has Breast Cancer is all you have to do.
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If what is contained in this article scares you, then you need to pick up a copy of my e-book Breast Cancer Awareness. Once you do this, you will learn How To Prevent And Avoid Breast Cancer. Just go to: Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Hoppy_Dewanto,_M.D. |
The Impact of Good Nutrition on Breast Cancer
July 20, 2010 by maya
Filed under What You Need To Know
Your risk of developing breast cancer might be one in nine; however, it may be higher or lower depending on additional risk factors. It is important to know the factors that can drive your risk for the disease higher and the screening tests that are used to find it.
Some of the most notable of the risk factors for breast cancer include having a personal history of the disease or family history (higher risk for maternal family members), an early onset of menstruation as well as a late cessation of the same, a late-in-life first pregnancy or having never had a child, hormone replacement therapy, excessive alcohol use, some dietary factors, smoking or exposure to second hand smoke.
There are a number of tests that should be done in the case of suspected breast cancer, including a breast ultrasound. This is a better testing method than the traditional mammography, which may miss small tumors or precancerous cells in those who have very dense breast tissue. Breast cancer is a very treatable disease if found early, with over 80% of all breast cancers found by the women themselves during their own monthly self breast exams. It is for this reason that the breast self exam should be done every single month and done correctly. The doctor will show you how to check every inch of your breast as well as the area under the armpits and will also tell you what to look for. These warning signs can include a change in the nipple’s appearance, including a strange discharge, scaling or crusting, changes in the shape or contour of the breast, a lump, mass or thickening, or any major change in the appearance of the breasts at all.
Because many women have a condition called polycystic breasts, or lumpy feeling breast tissue, it is important for the woman to know what is normal for her own breasts.
In addition to self-exams, women should have a mammogram or ultrasound at regular intervals established by her age and her risk factors. If either of these tests reveal a lump or a mass, further testing will be ordered. If the doctor cannot make a clear, definitive diagnosis, the mass may be subjected to a needle aspiration. During this procedure, a small needle is guided into the mass with some cells or fluid drawn out. If it is only a breast cyst, it will collapse when the needle is removed while a mass will not. The cells or fluid is used for diagnosis by the doctor. If the doctor cannot get a clear diagnosis or there were not enough cells for proper examination, the doctor will suggest a biopsy where a small cone of the mass is removed and then dissected.
After a complete diagnosis is done, the doctor will be able to tell whether it is cancer and if it is, what stage it is in. This is necessary to determine the treatment plans and options for the patient.
Why Nutrition Is Vital at this Point
While the body is dealing with the breast cancer and its subsequent treatments, it is vitally important to get the right nutrition. Not only should the diet be high in fresh fruits and vegetables, but it should also have a high amount of protein. Because many cancer patients find themselves unable to eat well, they may have to get additional nutrients from supplemental forms. During some cancer treatments, nausea and vomiting are common and make it difficult to get enough nutrients.
Protein is important to protect and restore the immune system and necessary to fight off infections. Protein is also important to help the body restore its structure. Because breast cancer treatment may also require surgery, it is even more important to have the right nutrients, including protein to be strong enough to face the surgery itself and the recovery period.
Breast Cancer and Nutrition: A Case Study
Laura is a thirty-eight year old woman who has just found out that she has breast cancer. She had always been very good about her breast self-exams and has never missed a single doctor’s checkup. One day, while doing her breast exam, she found a small lump. She called and made a doctor’s appointment and then nervously waited for the day to arrive. She had a mammogram which was unfortunately inconclusive. She was then scheduled for a biopsy which revealed that she has Stage II breast cancer. The treatment plan that her oncologist has come up with includes chemotherapy in several stages, a brief round of radiation therapy, and then surgery. At this point of her breast cancer, Laura’s doctor is not sure whether or not she will need to have her breast removed or not.
To keep her strength up, Laura is trying to focus on her nutrition, including getting enough protein and iron. After her second round of chemotherapy, Laura has found that she is anemic and will not be able to continue with her treatment if she does not get blood products. After two units of blood, she is given her next treatment and will continue to try to eat nutritious foods.
Unfortunately, she doesn’t like the taste of meat, which is one of the best sources of protein. She is going to focus on positive attitude and living her life the best way that she possibly can, focusing on the good and trying to minimize the bad.
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About Protica Research Founded in 2001, Protica, Inc. is a nutritional research firm specializing in the development of protein-rich, capsulized foods (dense nutrition in compact liquid and food forms). Protica manufactures Profect protein beverage, IsoMetric, Fruitasia and more than 100 other brands in its GMP-certified, 250,000 square foot facility. You can learn more about Protica at http://www.protica.com Copyright – Protica Research – http://www.protica.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jim_Duffy |
Where Can I Buy Breast Cancer Rubber Bracelets?
January 17, 2010 by maya
Filed under What You Need To Know
I’d like to know a couple of stores that would potentially have the pink rubber breast cancer bracelets. Thanks! …
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Where Can I Buy Breast Cancer Rubber Bracelets?
Mammography and Beyond: Developing Technologies for the Early …
January 17, 2010 by maya
Filed under What You Need To Know
Committee on Technologies for the Early Detection of Breast Cancer Report of the committee which examined the current state of the art in early breast cancer detection identifying 171381.
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Mammography and Beyond: Developing Technologies for the Early …
Eating Eggs When Pregnant Affects Breast Cancer In Offspring …
January 17, 2010 by maya
Filed under What You Need To Know
This finding by a team of biologists at Boston University is the first to link choline consumption during pregnancy to breast cancer . It also is the first to.
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Eating Eggs When Pregnant Affects Breast Cancer In Offspring …
Terramed Alliance News Pain From Breast Cancer Treatment Can Linger For Years, Study Finds
January 17, 2010 by maya
Filed under What You Need To Know
Terramed Alliance News Nearly half of all breast cancer patients experienced chronic pain two to three years after treatment and more than half felt discomfort, according to a study by Danish researchers published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the New York Times reports. The study found that women younger than age 40, those who underwent radiation treatment and those who had surgery to remove lymph nodes in the armpit are most likely to experience lingering pain.
In an accompanying editorial, Loretta Loftus, a senior member of the breast cancer program at the Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, wrote, “This should alert clinicians who are caring for these patients to pay more attention to those who are in the high risk groups for pain” (Caryn Rabin, New York Times, 11/10).
Researchers examined a 2009 survey of 3,253 Danish women who had breast cancer surgery in 2005 and 2006, Reuters reports. Forty-seven percent of the patients reported pain. Within that group, 13% described the pain as severe, 39% described it as moderate and 48% said it was light. Twenty percent of the women surveyed said they had contacted a physician within the last three months regarding their pain (Brown, Reuters, 11/10). Women of all ages who had mastectomies were more likely to have severe pain than light pain. Pain most frequently occurred in the breast that was operated upon, in the chest area where tissue was removed, in the upper arm where lymph nodes were removed or along one side of the body, according to U.S. News & World Report’s “On Women.”
“This study isn’t saying to change treatment recommendations based on whether or not a certain treatment is likely to be associated with pain,” Loftus said, adding, “But it’s telling oncologists that they need to be more alert to the incidence of pain,” she said (Kotz, “On Women,” U.S. News & World Report, 11/10). The study’s author, Henrik Kehlet of the University of Copenhagen, said more research is needed to determine why some women experience lingering pain and others do not (Szabo, USA Today, 11/11).
Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You can view the entire Daily Women’s Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women’s Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.
Terramed Alliance is a non-profit charity organization dedicated to research, education and advocacy of breast cancer. One of the vision of Terramed Alliance is to provide this community and Internet users with a charity based research and education entity. Advocacy of breast cancer through education is vital to the reduction of this disease. For any requests and enquiries, please contact at us: cancer@terramedalliance.us www.terramedalliance.us
Terramed Alliance is a non-profit charity organization dedicated to research, education and advocacy of breast cancer. One of the vision of Terramed Alliance is to provide this community and Internet users with a charity based research and education entity. Advocacy of breast cancer through education is vital to the reduction of this disease. For any requests and enquiries, please contact at us: cancer@terramedalliance.us www.terramedalliance.us
