Posts Tagged ‘chemo side effects’

Cancer-lethal misconceptions accelerate the demise to the patient. The most damage comes from the front line treatments, and lack of understanding of this condition.

Cancer Treatment-Impairment of the Body’s Defense System

Cancer treatment-impairment of the body’s defense system is recognized by conventional physicians. However, the standard medical protocol still stands.

Cancer surgery wreaks havoc on a body’s immune system. It is a major stress, and about half of those who undergo surgery for tumor removal will experience a recurrence of cancer. This will be in the same location or in another part of the body.

Modern Medicines Solution

Surgery                                          

A new clinical approach is being developed and tested by Tel Aviv University researcher Prof. Shamgar Ben-Ellyahu, head of Tel Aviv University”s Department of psychology.

Prof. Ben-Eliyahu and others have confirmed that a competent immune system is critical before, during and after surgery for tumor removal. A stress response of the body during this period jeopardizes the immune response, and does in fact facilitate metastasis.

Again the researches will rely on drugs that could block the influence of these hormones, helping the body deal with the stresses of surgery.

In the upcoming trial, Prof. Ben-Eliyahu will boost patients’ immune systems with his drug cocktail over a 20-day period, before, during and after surgery. The two compounds to be used in the study are a beta-adrenergic antagonist, which is used to treat hypertension and anxiety, and a Cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor, used against inflammation and pain. Since the two drugs are already widely available and routinely used in the clinical setting, no patents need be filed for the application of these drugs. 

 Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy drugs have potentially taken a toll on the hospital and clinic workers who handle them. A study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, 10 years in the making and the largest to date, confirms that chemo continues to be found in the urine of those that handle it.

Danish epidemiologists used cancer registry data from the 1940s through the late 1980s to report a significantly increased risk of leukemia among oncology nurses and physicians. Last year, another Danish study of more than 92,000 nurses found an elevated risk for breast, thyroid, nervous system and brain cancers in the nursing population.

Karen Lewis knew what the possibilities were when a routine medical exam returned an abnormal white blood cell count on her four years ago. “I worked in a cancer center,” she said. “I knew.”

A long-time hospital pharmacist, 57, was diagnosed with a pre-cancerous blood disease called myelodysplastic syndrome. Her doctor immediately ordered her to stop working with or around chemo agents.

Lewis has begun transfusions to try to keep her cell counts normal. Ultimately, her only hope for a cure lies in a bone marrow transplant. She advises others to be vigilant about cancer screening if they’ve worked with chemo.

“Now, since I left, everybody who works with chemo has to have a blood test once a year and urinalysis,” she said. “Maybe that was my contribution.”

Chemo sounds like a good conservative treatment for people with a compromised immune system. The adage do not harm seems to have gone out of the window.

Radiation

Radiation causes cancer, what is the main stream medical profession missing on the war on cancer. Secondary malignancies are cancer caused by treatment with radiation or chemotherapy.  They are considered unrelated to the first cancer that was treated.

Maybe this endeavor should be called the war for cancer. This has a truer ring to it.

Now What?         

Medical intervention always attempts to remove or manage symptoms of any disease. For the most part they disregard the cause. Modern cancer treatment doesn’t have the wonderful record that is sometimes reported.

It really isn’t back to square one, there is plenty of information available on how and why this condition occurs, and what it takes to turn it around. This is not a disease in the true sense of the word. Most conditions are a product of nutritional deficiencies, physical and emotional stress, environmental toxins, and hormonal balance.

Check this out and see the other possibilities.

A recent study was conducted in Norway to determine if the increasing rate of breast cancer detection actually produces a reduction in cancer risk. One group of women was studied for six years by biennial mammograms and a comparison group of the same ages (50-64) was examined by a single mammogram at the beginning of the biennial program. Data on invasive breast cancer detection was obtained for both groups from the Norwegian Cancer Registry. The more frequently screened group showed 22% more cancers over the six years than the group with a single mammogram at the end of six years. The researchers concluded that with more frequent screening, approximately one fifth of the tumors that would naturally regress on their own end up being treated.

System Effected by Possible Side Effects of Sorafenib

Gastrointestinal

Gastrointestinal (GI) side effects including diarrhea (43%), increased lipase (41%), increased amylase (30%), nausea (23%), anorexia (16%), vomiting (16%), and constipation (15%) have been reported. Common side effects have included mucositis, stomatitis, (including dry mouth and glossodynia), dyspepsia, and dysphagia. Uncommon side effects have included pancreatitis, GI reflux, and gastritis. In addition, GI perforation has been reported in less than 1% of patients receiving sorafenib and not always associated with apparent intra- abdominal tumor.

Dermatologic

Dermatologic side effects including rash/desquamation (40%), Hand-foot skin reaction (30%), alopecia (27%), pruritus (19%), and dry skin (11%) have been reported. Very common side effects have included erythema. Common side effects have included exfoliative dermatitis, acne, and flushing. Scalp dysesthesia and subungual splinter hemorrhages (characterized by straight black or red lines under the nails) have been reported. Uncommon side effects have included folliculitis, eczema, and erythema multiforme. Three cases of keratoacanthomas and two cases of sorafenib-induced eruptive melanocytic lesions have also been reported.

Cardiovascular

Cardiovascular side effects including hypertension (17%) have been reported. Uncommon side effects have included hypertensive crisis, congestive heart failure, myocardial ischemia, and/or infarction. Cardiac failure, thromboembolism, and arrhythmia have been reported infrequently.

Hematologic

Hematologic side effects including Hypoalbuminemia (49%), hemorrhage (15%) (i.e., gastrointestinal, respiratory tract and rarely cerebral hemorrhage) have been reported. Common side effects have included anemia and thrombocytopenia. Uncommon side effects have included abnormal international normalized ratio (INR) results. Cases of erythrocytosis have also been reported.

Respiratory

Respiratory side effects including dyspnea (14%) and cough (13%) have been reported. Common side effects have included hoarseness. Uncommon side effects have included rhinorrhea.

Nervous System

Nervous system side effects including sensory neuropathy (13%) and headache (10%) have been reported. Common side effects have included tinnitus. Cerebral hemorrhage, transient ischemic attack, and reversible posterior leukoencephalopathy have also been reported infrequently.

Musculoskeletal

Musculoskeletal side effects including joint pain (10%) have been reported. Common side effects have included arthralgia and myalgia.

Immunologic

Immunologic side effects have very commonly included leukopenia and lymphopenia. Common side effects have included neutropenia.

Hypersensitivity

Hypersensitivity side effects including skin reactions and urticaria have been reported.

Metabolic

Metabolic side effects including weight loss (10%), transient increases in transaminases, and hypophosphatemia have been commonly reported. Uncommon side effects have included dehydration, hyponatremia, transient increases in alkaline phosphatase, increased bilirubin (including jaundice), and hypothyroidism.

Psychiatric

Psychiatric side effects have commonly included depression.

Genitourinary

Genitourinary side effects have commonly included erectile dysfunction. Uncommon side effects have included gynecomastia.

Renal

Renal side effects including acute renal failure have been reported infrequently.

Hepatic

Hepatic side effects including liver dysfunction have been reported in at least 10% of patients.

Other

Other side effects including fatigue (37%) and abdominal pain (11%) have been reported. Very common side effects have included asthenia and pain (including mouth, bone, and tumor pain). Common side effects have included decreased appetite, influenza-like illness, and pyrexia. Uncommon side effects have included infection.

Broccoli To The Rescue

There are naturally occurring substances that block precisely this undesired NF-KB pathway and thus make the dangerous cells vulnerable: vegetables from the cruciferous family such as broccoli and cauliflower possess a high content of sulforaphane, an anti-cancer compound.

The experiments show that sulforaphane prevents the activation of the NF-kB pathway by sorafenib. The combination treatment reinforces the effect of sorafenib without causing additional side effects.

The invasive potential of cancer cells was prevented – metastasis was completely blocked in cell culture experiments. “We assume that nutrition may be a suited approach to break therapy resistance of cancer stem cells and thus make tumor treatment more effective,” Professor Herr suggested

You Must Remember, the medical advice from your doctor, leaves out one fact-food is medicine.