From the first moment my wife discovered
she had breast cancer, there was a deafening silence from the men I know. Even
ones whose wives, mothers or girlfriends had breast cancer seemed to have
received a gag order from some Central Cancer Command and did little more than
mumble about the experience. Not one to shut up for any known reason, I started
this blog…
Every month, I’ll be highlighting breast
cancer research that is going on RIGHT NOW! Harvested from different websites,
journals and podcasts, I’ll translate them into understandable English and
share them with you. Today: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/12/151211132333.htm
My wife is
coming up on FIVE YEARS post-mastectomy; five months later will be five years
post chemotherapy.
This article
compares the after-effects of two cancer drugs my wife took: tamoxifen (http://breastcancerreaper.blogspot.com/2015/03/encore-8-take-tamoxifen-for-ten-years.html)
and anastrazole (http://breastcancerreaper.blogspot.com/2011/12/next-five-years-anastrazole-whats-it-do.html).
In it, the
research team discovered that “although both drugs were safe and effective, and
had no detrimental effect on overall quality of life, there were some
differences in the type and severity of symptoms the women experienced with
each treatment, and these especially differed by age.”
The differences
they say, are in the details. So what does this mean?
In women under
60, “tamoxifen [patients] complained of more severe hot flashes” as for those taking anastrozole, they found that they
had “greater severity of vaginal dryness and muscle and joint pains; hot
flashes, weight problems, vaginal symptoms and gynecological symptoms”
Neither drug had
any significant negative effect on women over 60; and overall, “The research also
indicated that symptoms such as depression and fatigue were no different in
comparison between the two drugs and did not increase in patients during the
five years of treatment.” Of course, this implies that depression and fatigue
are going to be common factors in post-treatment women, no matter their age.
Drug treatment
for women with breast cancer is going to be brutal. However, this study simply
shows that doctors need to choose wisely when prescribing the drug to patients
of different ages. Better still, PATIENTS in-the-know can make sure that their
providers are making the best choices for them.
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