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Showing posts with the label chemotherapy

How Does Erythropoietin Help in Treating Severe Anemia?

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  Anemia is a condition characterized by a lack of healthy red blood cells, which reduces the oxygen supply to the body’s tissues. While mild anemia can often be managed with dietary adjustments, severe anemia may require more intensive treatment. One key therapy for treating severe anemia is Erythropoietin, a hormone responsible for stimulating the production of red blood cells. This hormone is crucial for patients who suffer from chronic anaemia, particularly those with kidney disease or undergoing chemotherapy.   What is Erythropoietin? Erythropoietin is a naturally occurring hormone produced by the kidneys. Its primary function is to stimulate the bone marrow to produce more red blood cells, which are responsible for carrying oxygen throughout the body. When red blood cell levels are low, tissues do not receive enough oxygen, resulting in fatigue, weakness, and a variety of other symptoms associated with anaemia. Erythropoietin plays a crucial role in maintaining the body...

How to Manage AML (20-30% Blasts) and High-Risk MDS in Non-Transplant Patients

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  Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) and Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) are hematologic conditions that require nuanced treatment strategies, especially in non-transplant patients. This blog explores comprehensive management approaches, including chemotherapy, supportive care, and the role of emerging therapies, while highlighting the importance of personalised treatment plans. What is the link between MDS and AML? AML is characterised by the rapid proliferation of abnormal white blood cells, which can crowd out normal cells and cause symptoms such as fatigue, infections, and bleeding. High-risk MDS involves ineffective blood cell production, leading to low blood counts and a risk of progression to AML. Diagnostic tools include blood tests, bone marrow biopsies, and cytogenetic analysis, which help determine the specific subtype and genetic profile of the disease. What is the prognosis for AML with MDS-related changes? Here are five key points about the prognosis for AML with MDS-related...

Hormone and Chemotherapy for Prostate and Breast Cancer

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  Prostate and breast cancers are among the most prevalent types of cancer globally, impacting millions of individuals each year. Effective treatment strategies, including hormone therapy and chemotherapy, play pivotal roles in managing these cancers and improving patient outcomes. This article explores the integration of these therapies, highlighting their mechanisms, benefits, and considerations in prostate and breast cancer treatment. What is the downside of hormone therapy for prostate cancer? The downside of hormone therapy for prostate cancer primarily revolves around its side effects and potential long-term implications for patients undergoing treatment. While hormone therapy, such as Zoladex 3.6mg Injection (Goserelin Acetate), effectively targets androgen receptors to suppress testosterone production or activity, thereby slowing cancer growth, it can also lead to several challenges and considerations: Osteoporosis Risk: Long-term use of hormone therapy can weaken bones an...

Effective Treatments for HR-Positive, HER2-Negative Advanced or Metastatic Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is one of the cancer types which have a higher prevalence. The death toll due to breast cancer climbed to around 670000 in 2022. It may become fatal if it is neglected for a longer duration of time. Though breast cancer is often referred to as one disease, researchers have discovered its 20 subtypes. Therefore, it is essential to know about breast cancer in detail. In this article, we will discuss HR-Positive, HER2-Negative Advanced, or Metastatic Breast Cancer, which has the most prevalence compared to the other subtypes. This article will explain the characteristics and treatment options of Hr-positive, HER2-Negative Metastatic Breast Cancer. What is breast cancer ? It is a clinical condition when cells inside the milk ducts and the milk-producing lobules of the breast start dividing in an unregulated manner. The earliest form of breast cancer is detectable and does not pose harm to the patients. However, invasive cancers can spread to neighboring lymph nodes or other...

What Are The Most Effective Melanoma and Solid Tumor Treatments?

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  The treatment of melanoma and solid tumors is undergoing a revolutionary transformation. The remedy landscape has evolved dramatically, thanks to breakthroughs in medical science and targeted drug development. Central to this progress is the development of targeted treatments that explicitly address the tumors' genetic nitigrities. This shift towards precision medicine marks a pivotal moment in oncology, promising more effective and tailored therapeutic strategies for patients suffering from complex conditions like Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) and associated malignancies. Is melanoma considered a solid tumor? Melanoma is indeed classified as a type of solid tumor. Solid tumors are characterized by abnormal masses or tissue growths when cells proliferate excessively or fail to undergo programmed cell death. Melanoma originates from melanocytes, melanin-producing cells that give skin its color. As a type of cancer that develops primarily in the skin but can also occur in other ar...

Managing Chemotherapy-Induced Hyperuricemia and Gout: Common Medications and Treatment Strategies

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We all know that chemotherapy is an effective treatment in killing cancer cells from the body. But, along with it there are a lot of adverse reactions which can be induced by the effect of chemotherapy drugs in our body. One of them is hyperuricemia and gout in the cancer patient who are all receiving the chemo drug. Today, we are going to know about the strategies to manage the chemotherapy-induced hyperuricemia and gout in this article. What is the link between chemotherapy and hyperuricemia and gout? Chemotherapy is a form of cancer treatment which uses drugs to kill or shrink the cancer cells. But when it kills the cancer cell the tumour particle which breaks down at a rapid speed makes the kidney unable to eliminate or flush out it, leading to an acute kidney injury and . This condition can lead to a problem in the uric acid excretion and an elevation in the uric acid level in the blood (hyperuricemia) which in turn leads to gout, a painful form of arthritis caused due to the ac...

Comparing Chemotherapy, Immunotherapy, and Targeted Therapy: Approaches to Cancer Treatment

Immunotherapy, targeted therapy, and chemotherapy are the three main types of cancer treatment. Each has specific outcomes, goals, and methods. Chemotherapy is a treatment that gets rid of rapidly spreading cancer cells. The immune system uses the strength of the immune markers to combat cancer. Targeted treatment plans to target a variety of proteins in cancer cells. Patients and medical professionals must understand the differences between various therapy approaches. Let's view an overview of these treatment plans. Chemotherapy : Mechanism: They use synthetic chemicals that increase and inhibit the proliferation of rapidly dividing cancer cells. This healing process is systemic, which means it goes through the entire body, no longer affecting most cancer cells but also healthy ones. Mode of Action: Chemotherapy medications target specific levels of the cell cycle to prevent swiftly dividing cells from proliferating. Applicability: Chemotherapy is a common approach for various typ...

Treatment for Metastatic breast cancer

  Metastatic breast cancer is otherwise called stage 4 breast cancer where cancer has widely spread to the neighboring organs. The common organs to which breast cancer gets metastasized are the lungs, bones, brain and liver. The symptoms of metastatic breast cancer are developed based on the affected site or organ. However, the common metastatic breast cancer symptoms include back pain, numbness, persistent dry cough, pain in the chest region, poor appetite and trouble breathing. If you have been diagnosed with breast cancer and your oncologist suspects metastatic breast cancer then it shall be confirmed after obtaining the imaging tests like PET Scan of the whole body, CT scan, whole-body bone scan, blood tests to evaluate cancer biomarkers and biopsy of the suspected area. The objective of treating metastatic breast cancer is to diminish the tumor size by retarding its growth. The other aim of treating metastatic breast cancer is improving the patients' symptoms and decreasing fa...

Nausea and vomiting – The most common side effects of chemotherapy

Do you know? Nausea and vomiting occur in up to eighty percent of patients receiving chemotherapy. Fortunately, they don’t lead to serious health problems but sometimes may cause malnutrition and dehydration. If vomiting and nausea associated with chemotherapy are not managed, they can affect the quality of life, physical health, mental health, and even delay treatment.  Chemotherapy involves killing fast-growing cells, but during treatment, some healthy cells can also get affected and cause side effects. When certain parts of the gastrointestinal tract or brain are triggered, it can cause nausea. Who is more at risk? People who have cancers in the gastrointestinal tract, liver, and brain and who are undergoing treatment for them are more likely to experience nausea. If you are a woman or younger than fifty, have a history of motion sickness, high anxiety levels, or have had morning sickness during pregnancy, you are more likely to experience these side effects. If you have experie...