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Prostate Cancer Patients Might Soon Be Able To Enjoy A Brief Chemo Holiday
By: Donald Saunders
As soon as prostate cancer has moved out of the prostate gland and spread into other parts of the body it is referred to as advanced prostate cancer and treatment is far more difficult than when cancer is confined to the prostate.
If your cancer has not spread too far and is not especially aggressive it is possible not merely to treat it but in fact to cure it. But, in many cases where cancer is widespread, or is too aggressive, treatment is a case of merely holding back the progress of the disease and providing you with the best possible quality of life.
Today one of the chief treatments for advanced prostate cancer is intravenous chemotherapy frequently using a drug known as docetaxal. Docetaxal is a very effective drug treatment for many patients and it does indeed slow the progress of prostate cancer and extend the life of many patients. However, it is not without its side effects which include things like nausea, hair loss, loss of appetite and a heightened risk of infection. As a result it is here that we run into one of the biggest difficulties in advanced prostate cancer treatment.
If you are dealing with a disease which cannot be cured and which will eventually kill you, then extending your life by slowing down the progress of the disease is great provided that treatment gives you an acceptable quality of life and does not end up being worse than the condition itself.
For many prostate cancer patients, who are frequently in their 60s, 70s or even 80s, chemotherapy is hardly pleasant but it is a price that is worth paying when they first start their course of treatment. But, as the treatment progresses and the side effects start to build the picture frequently alters and many patients start to question whether it is worth it. Naturally this is never a simple question to answer and needs to be the subject of a very personal discussion between the patient, his family and his physician.
Most of us are familiar with this picture either through our own experience of illness or from our experience of seeing a family member of close friend in this situation and know well just how hard a time it can be.
Now, however, there may be a bit of light at the end of this tunnel as studies involving a sizeable group of patients with metastatic prostate cancer indicate that many patients might be able to take a 'chemo holiday' without any significant damage to their treatment. Put another way, after several weeks of chemo, and at a time when the side effects are really staring to pull you down, you might be able to simply stop your treatment for a while and let your body recover a bit before going on with your treatment.
It is of course early days yet and no-one is exactly sure yet precisely how long your 'chemo holidays' could be or how frequently you can take them, but for many advanced prostate cancer patients this apparently minor advance in treatment could make all the difference in the world.
Article Source: http://www.ezarticles.info
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