Quality Of Life Is Key To Cancer Survival

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 17:41:15 GMT

Many things came into my mind as I read through this article that served as a useful reminder. In the struggle to find the best course of treatment and use the best drugs to fight a terminal illness, one may forget the fundamental reason behind seeking treatment to prolong life; to spend quality time together and treasure each and every moment before the time lapses...

Having someone to drive you to cancer treatments or make sure you are eating may be even more important than tumor size or other medical factors in predicting cancer survival, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.
They found patients with a below-average quality of life before getting treatment for lung cancer -- those in poor health or with inadequate support networks -- had nearly a 70 percent higher death rate than those with a better one.
"It's intuitive that someone who is in better physical shape and has a support system will do better than someone who comes in already debilitated and doesn't really have anyone to help them go through treatment," said Dr. Nicos Nicolaou of Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia in a telephone interview.
"We have now shown this," said Nicolaou, whose study was presented on Tuesday at the American Society of Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology meeting in Los Angeles.
Doctors routinely consider factors such as tumor size, stage of the disease and other measures to predict how long a patient with cancer will survive.
But factors that make up a patient's quality of life -- overall health, mobility, emotional stability, social support and financial resources -- may make the most difference, Nicolaou and colleagues found.
"If you have someone to help you with your meals, transportation, give you your medications and take care of your daily needs, both physical and emotional, you will be able to get through the treatment better," he said.
By Julie Steenhuysen (Reuters)

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Quality Of Life Is Key To Cancer Survival