Hot Flushes in Breast Cancer Patients
Posted on July 11, 2008
Hot flushes or hot flashes in breast cancer patients are a common problem.
Many breast cancers are sensitive to circulating estrogen levels and for many women, suppressing the production or the effects of estrogen on the body is a major strategy in their treatment. A lack of estrogen will produce symptoms identical to the menopause and the most unpleasant of these are hot flushes, sweats or hot flashes.
A new research project has looked at the effect of a drug called Megace or megesterol acetate in treating hot flushes in women with breast cancer.
They studied nearly three hundred patients with breast cancer who had completed surgery and chemotherapy and at least four months of tamoxifen treatment for their condition.
Before they took part in the study the women had to have experienced at least ten hot flashes of any severity or at least five severe episodes each week.When the research data was looked at, eighty five percent of the women who took part were on tamoxifen, and forty percent had more than sixty hot flushes per week. Three quarters of them had experienced sweats and flashes for more than six months before they started in the study.
The women were divided into three groups. One group were given a placebo tablet, one group got 20mg of Megace and the other received 40mg of Megace each day. They all took their medicine for three months. A good outcome was defined as completion of treatment with a seventy five percent or greater reduction in hot flushes from that womens starting point.
If the treatment they were on worked well the women were given another three months of the same medication and dose. If they did not get benefit after three months then they were given 20mg a day of Megace on top of what they were already taking.
Reduction of flushings of seventy fiver percent or more was reported in
?only 14% of those women who were on placebo medication
?65% of those women who were on the 20 mg dose
?48% of the women who were on the 40 mg dose of drug
In addition, most successes at three months were maintained at six months in seventy seven percent of the women on 20 mg and in eighty one percent of the women on 40 mg per day - but there was no significant impact on other menopausal symptoms like vaginal dryness or joint pains.
For the women taking Megace the main side effects were fluid retention and weight gain, fatigue and sometimes mild depression.
The researchers concluded that Megace was very successful in alleviating sweats and flushes in breast cancer survivors with lasting results at 6 months. They recommended the twenty milligram dose for most women and said that this treatment should be considered for all women with menopause flushing symptoms after breast cancer treatment.
Gordon Cameron is a physician in Edinburgh Scotland. He has a special interest in the symptoms of breast cancer.
Article Author :Gordon_Cameron
Last 6 posts in Breast Cancer
- The Surprising Links Between Sleep, Exercise and Breast Cancer - December 11th, 2008
- Studies Link Obesity and Breast Cancer - December 11th, 2008
- Things You Can Do to Prevent Breast Cancer - December 11th, 2008
- 6 Things You Can Do to Prevent Breast Cancer - December 11th, 2008
- Breast Cancer Symptoms Guide - December 11th, 2008
- Early Symptoms of Breast Cancer Development - December 11th, 2008
- Seven Points to Keep Breast Cancer Away - December 11th, 2008
- Does Sun Exposure Cause Skin Cancer? - December 6th, 2008
- How to Detect and Treat Breast Cancer - December 5th, 2008
- Breast Cancer - How to Prevent Breast Cancer With Early Detection - December 5th, 2008
Mesothelioma is a cancer that occurs in the lining of the lungs. Its main cause is thought to be contact with asbestos. About 3000 new cases are reported every year in the United States, with about 8 million people having been exposed to asbestos in the last 50 years. Safety measures have been put into place in the last couple of decades so as to protect people from asbestos exposure; therefore, some think that the number of cases of mesothelioma will peak around 2020 and that it will begin to decline after that, since exposure to asbestos by then will… Continue reading
There are real, although very limited, benefits of diet and supplements in supporting mesothelioma. There’s nothing to buy that would prevent this horrible form of cancer, although eating fresh vegetables seems to tie in to a reduction in the rate of development. More recently, the medical literature suggests that one B vitamin may at least make one form of chemo for mesothelioma less toxic.
Dr. H. L Kindler of the Hematology/Oncology Section at the University of Chicago Hospitals finds that medically supervised folic acid supplementation probably decreases the toxicity of pemetrexed (Alimta). The research absolutely, positively does not suggest that anyone… Continue reading
Selecting the right mesothelioma lawyer can be a daunting task. In addition to the emotional strains and struggles you may be experiencing as a result of a mesothelioma diagnosis, it may feel like choosing an attorney for your legal case is too daunting. In this article we will explore how to find a mesothelioma attorney.
It is your responsibility and right to obtain the best legal advice you can when submitting a claim to the court for a mesothelioma negligence suit. Large sums of cash, potentially millions of dollars, are ultimately at stake and you don’t want to be unprepared for… Continue reading
Related posts
» Filed Under Breast Cancer
Comments
Leave a Reply
