A diagnosis of pancreatic cancer—the fourth most common cause of cancer death in the United States—can be devastating. Due in part to aggressive cell replication and tumor growth, pancreatic cancer progresses quickly and has a low five-year survival rate (less than 5%).
Cancer treatment often has many troubling side effects, which can result in decreased function and quality of life. These side effects include: fatigue, pain, weakness, lymphedema, swelling, peripheral neuropathy, scar tissue formation, and difficulty with ambulation. Physical therapy can help patients return to normal function as well as boost immune response and help minimize the risk of complications.
Men who begin taking statins after prostate cancer surgery are less likely to experience a recurrence of their cancer, according to a retrospective analysis led by researchers at Duke Medicine.
“Our findings suggest that beginning statins after surgery may reduce the risk of prostate cancer recurrence, so it’s not too late to start statins after a diagnosis,” says lead author Emma H. Allott, PhD, a postdoctoral associate in the division of urology at Duke and the Durham VA Medical Center.
A secondary analysis revealed that this protective association was significant only among men who aren’t black, although this possible racial disparity requires further investigation. The study appears online in BJU International (formerly the British Journal of Urology).
Prostate cancer is the most common nonskin cancer in men, according to the American Cancer Society. For men with localized disease, radical prostatectomy is a common treatment option. However, approximately 30% of men experience a recurrence of their prostate cancer within 10 years of surgery.
These powerful compounds may help prevent CVD and cancer and boost cognitive function. Many dietitians are well aware of the benefits fruits and vegetables provide, but few may know the actual names and types of the disease-fighting compounds they contain that are so important for good health.
Soy: It’s a high-quality source of protein, containing all of the essential amino acids; it’s packed with vitamins and minerals; it has fiber (both soluble and insoluble), omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, no cholesterol, and very little saturated fat compared with meat. It’s been touted for reducing the risk of coronary heart disease, osteoporosis, and some forms of cancer, and there’s clinical evidence to back up these assertions.
Despite recent published reports suggesting that omega-3 supplements lack the cardiovascular health benefits they once claimed and could be associated with various health risks, many people continue to use them. According to the 2014 ConsumerLab.com survey of 10,000 supplement users, fish/marine oil supplements still were popular, with 67.2% of respondents using them.
Learn how Massage can be beneficial for Cancer patients and survivors, whether 20 years in remission, or in active treatment, and the safety considerations for each.
Men with prostate cancer who ate a low-fat diet and took fish oil supplements had lower levels of pro-inflammatory substances in their blood and a lower cell cycle progression score, a measure used to predict cancer recurrence, than men who ate a typical Western diet, UCLA researchers found.