Survivorship & Supportive Care - Cancer Currents Blog
News on research that affect cancer patients and survivors. Topics include managing treatment side effects, fertility preservation, and cancer’s long-term effects.
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Heart Problems: Investigating the Cardiac Side Effects of Cancer Treatments
Certain cancer treatments can damage the heart and the cardiovascular system, a problem known as cardiotoxicity. Cardiologists and oncologists met recently to discuss strategies and future research directions for addressing these side effects.
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Tailored Psychotherapy Eases Depression in People with Advanced Cancer
Just three to six sessions of a tailored psychotherapy approach called CALM helped to lessen symptoms of depression in people recently diagnosed with advanced cancer, results from a clinical trial show. The approach also may help prevent depression, researchers found.
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Mouse Study Links Immune Cells to Diarrhea Caused by Chemotherapy
A study in mice sheds light onto how some chemotherapies cause diarrhea. The findings could be the basis for developing new treatments for patients with cancer who develop gastrointestinal side effects from chemotherapy.
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The Opioid Epidemic and Cancer Pain Management: A Conversation with Dr. Judith Paice
Dr. Judith Paice, of the Cancer Pain Program at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, discusses the impacts of the opioid epidemic on cancer patients and how providers can address concerns about opioid misuse when managing cancer pain.
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Sodium Thiosulfate Prevents Cisplatin-Induced Hearing Loss in Some Children
The drug sodium thiosulfate can protect the hearing of children with cancer undergoing treatment with the chemotherapy drug cisplatin, results from a new clinical trial show. The trial involved children with a form of liver cancer called hepatoblastoma.
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Do Frequent Follow-Up Tests Benefit Colorectal Cancer Survivors?
Two studies examined the impact of more frequent follow-up testing for cancer recurrence in colorectal cancer survivors. Learn whether the studies showed that frequent testing improved survival.
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Higher Risk of Heart Failure Seen in Some Cancers
Some people who have been treated for breast cancer or lymphoma have a higher risk of developing congestive heart failure than people who haven’t had cancer, results from a new study show.
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Testing an Interactive Approach to Promote Exercise in Young Cancer Survivors
An interactive website designed to promote physical activity among children and adolescents who have completed treatment for cancer may indeed help encourage them to get regular exercise, according to preliminary results from a pilot study.
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Study Identifies Potential Cause of Hearing Loss from Cisplatin
A new study has found the commonly used chemotherapy drug cisplatin is retained in the inner ear of mice and humans for long periods. The finding may explain why many patients treated with the drug develop hearing loss and could point toward potential ways to prevent it.
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Acupuncture May Reduce Treatment-Related Joint Pain for Breast Cancer Patients
Joint pain caused by aromatase inhibitors in postmenopausal women with breast cancer can cause some women to stop taking the drugs. Reducing their symptoms may translate into better adherence to therapy.
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Prior Cancers Common in Patients Newly Diagnosed with Cancer
A new study shows that many patients diagnosed with a new cancer have had one or more cancers in the past, which has potential implications for long-term surveillance and clinical trial enrollment.
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Expanding Smoking Cessation Services at NCI-Designated Cancer Centers: An Interview with Dr. Glen Morgan
NCI’s Dr. Glen Morgan discusses NCI’s Cancer Center Cessation Initiative, including how and why this smoking cessation initiative was developed and its long-term goals.
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Long-Term Nerve Damage Possible after Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer
Many women who receive taxane-based chemotherapy to treat breast cancer experience long-term nerve damage, or peripheral neuropathy, data from a large clinical trial show.
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Ibrutinib Becomes First FDA-Approved Drug for Chronic Graft-Versus-Host Disease
A drug used to treat several blood cancers, ibrutinib, has been approved by FDA to treat chronic graft-versus-host disease, making it the first approved therapy for this potentially fatal side effect of cancer-related stem cell transplants.
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Survivors of Breast Cancer Differ on Who Should Manage Follow-Up Care
Many survivors of early-stage breast cancer prefer that their oncologist handle aspects of routine medical care usually overseen by primary care practitioners, leading to concerns about gaps in care.
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FDA Clears Wider Use of Cooling Cap to Reduce Hair Loss during Chemotherapy
The FDA has cleared a cooling cap—a device designed to reduce hair loss during chemotherapy called the DigniCap Scalp Cooling System—for use by patients with any type of solid tumor.
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Targeted Cancer Drug May Also Help Protect Fertility, Study Suggests
Findings from a new study in mice suggest that a class of targeted cancer drugs may have another use in some younger women being treated for cancer: preserving their fertility.
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Putting the Cancer Patient Front and Center: An Interview with NCI’s Dr. Paul Jacobsen
NCI’s Dr. Paul Jacobsen discusses NCI’s Healthcare Delivery Research Program and its role in advancing innovative research to improve the delivery of cancer care.
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Less-Frequent Zoledronic Acid Treatment Effective at Preventing Bone Metastasis Complications
In a clinical trial involving patients with metastatic cancer, administration of zoledronic acid every 12 weeks was as effective at preventing skeletal-related events caused by bone metastases as administration every 4 weeks.
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Ibrutinib Relieves Chronic Graft-Versus-Host Disease Symptoms
The targeted cancer therapy ibrutinib can effectively treat the symptoms of chronic graft-versus-host disease, a common and serious complication of allogeneic stem cell transplants, findings from a small clinical trial show.