Mesothelioma Help Cancer News
Mesothelioma Patients and Their Caregivers Benefit From Yoga
According to the National Cancer Society, exercise is an important part of cancer treatment and recovery. Exercise can help patients feel better physically, improve their appetite, loosen stiffened joints, as well as improve their mood. While many mesothelioma patients do not have the stamina or strength to walk, yoga can offer these same benefits – and maybe more. A recent study reports that yoga “provides physical and mental benefits for both lung cancer patients and their caregivers.”
Researchers from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center set out to find interventions for families facing a poor cancer prognosis and to examine mind-body techniques as supportive care strategies. Led by Kathrin Milbury, PhD, an assistant professor of cancer medicine in the Department of Palliative Care and Rehabilitation Medicine, they turned to yoga as a “a gentle form of exercise,” and for the ease in modifying poses for patients and for adapting it for partner participation.
In the feasibility study focused on physical postures, breathing exercises, and meditation, the team offered patients and their caregivers 15, one-hour yoga sessions, according to a press release announcing the initial results of the study. The poses included chest-opening moves that incorporated stretching the chest area with deep breathing practice. All of the patients in the study had inoperable non-small cell lung cancer and were undergoing thoracic radiation therapy and chemotherapy. The patients completed a quality-of-life survey and a six-minute walking assessment. 26 patient/caregiver pairs took part, completing a mean of 12 classes.
“It is never too late to engage in exercise, and we know from earlier studies that people can exercise while being treated with chemotherapy or radiation,” said Dr. Milbury. “Caregivers sometimes have more anxiety and sleeping problems than patients. Therefore, we thought that having the patient and caregiver go through yoga instruction together would be beneficial for both partners.”
The patients who took the yoga classes “had significantly better physical function as assessed by the 6-minute walking test,” better stamina for performing daily activities, as well as improved mental health. The caregivers reported improvements in fatigue and stamina.
Mesothelioma is an incurable cancer of the lining of the lungs, abdomen or heart caused by past exposure to asbestos. Research has shown that patients who focus on the power of the mind-body connection and choose to be optimistic and positive will realize a higher quality of life and may respond better to treatments. In addition, cancer patients who practice yoga and stay active by walking or getting outside are shown to have less stress and anxiety than those who remain sedentary.
According to WebMD, regular yoga practice can “lead to significant improvements in sleep for people who have undergone cancer treatment.” In a study conducted by the James P. Wilmot Cancer Center, University of Rochester Medical Center, researchers found that yoga was effective in improving sleep quality and sleep efficiency in cancer patients.
“We demonstrated that patients undergoing treatment for lung cancer are not too sick to participate in a behavioral supportive care intervention,” said Dr. Milbury. “Both patients and caregivers reported to have enjoyed the experience, and it gave them a time away from cancer, and [they] learned something new together.”
The research will be continued with a more diverse group of patients.
Prior to beginning any fitness routine, mesothelioma patients should discuss their options with their doctors.
Visit MD Anderson Cancer Center’s website to find out more about the yoga study. The results were presented at the 2017 Palliative And Supportive Care In Oncology Symposium held Oct. 27-28 in San Diego, CA.
Mesothelioma Nurse Asks Everyone to Reach Out to Someone This Holiday Season
As we close out November and National Family Caregivers Month, we give thanks to all mesothelioma patients and to those who support them. From the diagnosis through treatment, to living with a chronic condition, a serious illness is stressful and life-altering. For the patient and the family member, or support person, their relationships are forever altered. Over the years I have met outstanding caregivers and supportive friends who have seen patients through dark times and who have helped immensely in the whole mesothelioma journey.
This past week, I saw once again, the importance of relationships, support, and human interactions. Unfortunately, I saw it from the other side, from a patient who is alone and isolated. I took care of him this past week, while he was having an outpatient procedure, and I was reminded of how easy it can be in today’s world to become isolated.
The man had been a successful professor who has been retired for over 15 years. He did not have a computer- not interested. He had no one to drive him to or from his appointments and he hired a car service for his transportation. He did not list an emergency contact, he had no one. He had no family or friends, and he did not know any of his neighbors.
Although my time with him was brief, the impression he made on me was profound. He was reluctant to let his team know about his situation. His family was gone, he had a distant cousin down south but he had not kept in touch with him. He was so appreciative of any kindness shown him. He was a proud, independent man, who at this point in his life, had no family or supportive relationships.
Social and emotional isolation is a growing problem in this age of technology and instant communications. It is proven that individuals with less social connections have disrupted sleep patterns, altered immune systems, more inflammation and higher levels of stress hormones. Socially isolated, middle-aged and older people have a 30 percent higher risk of dying in the next seven years.
As we enjoy the holiday season – make it a point to look around your neighborhood, apartment building, and office and reach out to someone who might just need a kind word or a conversation to help them get through the day. The relationship you form can save someone’s life and enrich your own.
Emotional Stress Of Mesothelioma Diagnosis Could Lead to PTSD
MesotheliomaHelp has reported time and again about the stress mesothelioma patients face. Trying to handle treatments in the midst of managing bills, insurance, appointments and communication with friends and family can take its toll. Now, researchers report the emotional impact of dealing with a cancer diagnosis is even more serious than previously reported.
A team of Malaysian researchers report that nearly one-fifth of cancer patients are likely to suffer from post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) after their diagnosis, according to a Nov. 20 article in MedPage Today. In their study of just over 200 patients, they found that more than 20% of cancer patients had symptoms of PTSD a month after diagnosis. About 33% of those patients were still struggling with PTSD four years later.
“Our data underscore the risk of developing persistent PTSD even years after mesothelioma cancer diagnosis and treatment,” said Lei Hum Wee, PhD, of the National University of Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur.
The team from Kuala Lumpur is not the first to identify PTSD in cancer patients, however, they are the first to use gold-standard clinical interviews and to follow a cohort for as long as four years. With the cancer diagnosis being the traumatic exposure, to be diagnosed with PTSD a patient must also have had “at least one recurring symptom, three avoidance/numbing symptoms, and two arousal symptoms, all persisting for more than a month and resulting in significant distress or functional impairment.” For subsyndromal PTSD the patient’s response must lead to distress or functional impairment persisting more than a month, associated with the presence of at least six symptoms from three of four categories (recurring, avoidance/numbing, hyperarousal, and duration), according to the researchers.
Numerous studies have shown that if after a terminal cancer diagnosis a patient does not receive proper support managing the vast number of issues they are faced with, such as financial issues, transportation needs, personal care and family management, the stress can lead to depression, anxiety and failing health. In fact, according to a 2007 breakthrough study conducted by the Institute of Medicine, physicians should also monitor the social and emotional health, or psychosocial needs, of patients to lessen their suffering and to “support their return to health.” The IOM report stressed that, “Psychosocial issues in cancer are palpable, important, and potentially crippling.”
The researchers in the current PTSD study reported that for the patients in their study, a cognitive behavioral therapy had “significant improvement in anxiety and distress associated with fear of cancer recurrence.” Mesothelioma patients should discuss treatment options for their mental health with their oncologist. Treating the emotional aspect of mesothelioma should not be ignored.
“This [study] highlights a need to monitor PTSD among long-term cancer survivors, especially because many of the symptoms of PTSD, such as avoidance and cognitive difficulties (as well as psychological distress), are enduring, which may potentially impact adherence to treatment,” said Dr. Lei Hum Wee.
Nearly 3,000 Americans are diagnosed with mesothelioma each year.
Targeting Nerves To Stop Mesothelioma Growth
Researchers have spent countless hours searching for an effective way to keep mesothelioma cells from migrating and growing. They have looked at biomarkers within the cells, improved radiation techniques and stronger chemotherapy, with each approach falling short of the breakthrough needed to extend survival. Now, researchers are turning their attention to nerve cells as a target for halting cancer growth.
Researchers from across the globe have begun building on research from the 80s from Johns Hopkins University where alcohol injections were given to ease the pain in pancreatic cancer patients, according to an Oct. 18 article in the New Scientist. In the original research, when advanced-stage pancreatic cancer patients were injected with alcohol in the nerves around the tumors pressing on the spine, not only did the patients find pain relief but they also gained (on average) three more months of life.
At the time, the scientists chalked up the extended survival to the mind-body connection theory that by relieving the pain the patients were in a better mood and were more active allowing them to tolerate and respond to standard treatments better. Research over the years, points instead to the ability of cancer cells to travel along the nervous system and metastasize to other organs and the brain.
Expert Insight
Gustavo Ayala, University of Texas Health Science Center
“If you don’t take care of the nerves, you’re not going to cure cancer “
“It’s not entirely clear why, but we know that nerves release stimulatory molecules such as neurotransmitters,” says Hubert Hondermarck, a cancer neurobiologist at the University of Newcastle in Australia, in a March 27 press release from the University. “Cancer cells receive these and use them for their benefit, growing, multiplying, migrating, invading and creating metastasis – there is therefore a nerve dependence for cancer cells.”
Mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer that can multiply and spread quickly making it impossible to treat. Metastasis, according to the National Cancer Society, is the cause of 90 percent of all cancer deaths. Needless to say, stopping the spread of cancer cells is critical for improving survival in mesothelioma patients.
Although nerves are the target of the research, those targeted must be carefully selected, since destroying any nerve cells can have far-reaching implications such as affecting the heart, digestion or the ability to feel heat and pain.
The involuntary or “autonomic” nervous system’s opposing functions, rest and fight or flight, help drive the target for treatment in cancer or other diseases. For example, targeting nerve receptors involved in fight-or-flight responses can aid heart patients, whereas looking at nerves that relax the body could halt the free flow of cancer cells.
“It’s exciting,” says Claire Magnon, a cancer biologist at the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission near Paris. “This is the beginning of a new era in cancer research.”
Further study by Hondermarck, and others looking at additional cancer types, led Hondermarck to conclude that the interaction of the cancer cells and the nerves is “relatively widespread,” indicating the research is beneficial for many types of cancer.
Close to 3,000 Americans are diagnosed with mesothelioma each year. The mesothelioma community always sits up and takes note when a breakthrough of such significant proportions, like this, leads researchers to a different approach for treating cancer.
Read the full study in the March 13 issue of Cancer Cell.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1535610816306055
Sources:
- New Scientist
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2078806-gentler-attack-on-cancer-may-mean-we-can-live-with-it-for-longer - University of Newcastle in Australia
https://www.newcastle.edu.au/newsroom/featured-news/study-strikes-a-nerve-with-the-spread-of-cancer
Managing Your Emotions When Mesothelioma Puts You in the Hospital During the Holidays
When thinking about the holidays, most people picture themselves celebrating at home surrounded by family and friends. We often have very high expectations for the holidays and put a lot of stress on ourselves in order to make things perfect. A lot of people have traditions involving family, friends, and their comfortable home. When life or illness upsets these rituals it can be upsetting, leaving some people dreading the holidays that they once enjoyed.
For mesothelioma patients undergoing treatment in a distant city, it can be difficult to be away from home during the holiday season. How do mesothelioma patients and families, and anyone else who finds themselves away from home at holidays, cope? Some of the suggestions that other patients have found useful on their own mesothelioma journey may help.
First, acknowledge your feelings: it’s okay to feel sad. Allow yourself to acknowledge that it is difficult. This illness is not something that you can plan for or control. It is a lot to deal with a serious health diagnosis and the holidays all at once.
Reach out and seek support – you do not have to be alone. Often the social worker at the hospital, or the hospitality home that you may be staying at will be aware of others in the same situation. The chaplaincy service might also have ideas on how to celebrate. Planning ahead can make it easier for you. If your loved one is in the hospital, see what is available for the patients there. Hospitals have holiday dinners to offer their guests, and sometimes friends or relatives can join in for a small celebration. If they want to stop by, let them. Even if just for a short visit. Now is not the time to turn away people that genuinely want to help or visit.
Sometimes in situations like these you meet people and form bonds that are unexpected and welcoming during the most difficult time of your life. Be open to sharing your holiday with others that might be on the same journey.
There are no easy answers. Holidays can bring a vast amount of emotions for people. Try to focus on having the best holiday possible!
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