For many men with prostate cancer, prostate removal is never needed because the cancer is often slow-growing and managed with non-surgical treatments. But, if the cancer has grown beyond the prostate, the oncologist may recommend prostate removal surgery, also called a prostatectomy. If you are going to have prostate removal surgery, this information can help you in your discussion with the doctors.
Night sweats are common side effects that both cancer survivors and patients, alike, often face. Radiation therapies, certain prescription medications, and some cancer-related surgeries can even worsen the frequency and intensity of a patient's night sweats. Waking up in the middle of the night with wet bedsheets and pajamas is never ideal, but there are ways to manage night sweats.
Cancer patients and survivors may be wondering if they should get a flu shot. The answer is YES. Experts aren’t sure if cancer survivors, or even patients currently undergoing treatment, are more prone to getting the flu. However, experts know one fact for sure — cancer patients and many survivors experience more serious complications from the flu.
Unfortunately, cancer is a well-armed and very prepared opponent when it attacks the body. This means that the treatment to send cancer to the curb must be just as tough...and it is.
Cancer treatments are designed to slow the growth of, kill, and prevent new cancer cells from growing. The medicine used must be very potent in order to eliminate this disease. Unfortunately, this means that life after cancer often comes with both short and long-term side effects including dental disorders.
This is your guide to an in-depth look at which cancer treatments cause dental disorders, why they cause oral health issues, the most common dental issues experienced by cancer survivors, and how to manage and prevent them.
Chemotherapy plays an important role in most cancer patients’ treatment regimens – because it’s very effective at killing fast-growing cancer cells throughout the body. Unfortunately, chemotherapy also kills fast-growing healthy cells. As a result, many cancer patients experience both short- and long-term side effects of chemotherapy.
Most people are familiar with the short-term side effects of chemo, which often include:
It’s no secret that cancer treatment takes an emotional and physical toll on patients. According to the American Cancer Society, the goals of cancer treatment include shrinking cancerous tumors to make them easier to remove surgically, killing cancer cells in the body, and/or controlling cancer so it does not grow and spread. Chemotherapy, steroid medications, and hormonal therapies used to achieve these goals sometimes have unwelcome side effects in cancer survivors, including osteoporosis.
When you were being treated for cancer, you probably experienced some unpleasant side effects of the medications and therapies prescribed to treat your cancer. These side effects probably weren’t entirely shocking because you were told to expect them.
As you transitioned to being a cancer survivor, you probably expected the unpleasant side effects to go away. Fortunately, many of them probably did. One side effect that often continues to affect cancer survivors (or that may develop as a brand-new symptom after cancer treatment is complete) is a sleep disorder. Sleep disorders in cancer patients are most common after chemotherapy. While sleep disturbances usually improve for cancer survivors, lingering sleep problems sometimes last for years after cancer treatment ends.