Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Hazards of Cancer Treatments in Children

Cancer is always a difficult diagnosis to handle, especially when it is found in a child. Decisions must be made regarding treatment, and parents are often put under the gun to move quickly. They are also commonly intimidated by medical authorities if they express any doubts about recommended therapies or lean towards alternative treatments. However, as the article posted below points out, there are very good reasons that parents should be wary of traditional cancer treatments such as chemo and radiation. These toxic procedures are particularly hard on the immature bodies of young children.

Parents who express concerns are often told that these treatments have evolved in recent years so that they are more effective and less toxic than back in the "old days." Unfortunately, this is not always true. Researchers in this study found that children who were most recently exposed to chemo and radiation had higher risk factors in some cases than those treated 30-40 years ago.

Whenever we receive medical treatments that have potentially dangerous side effects, the hazards may not surface for many years. What we or our children are exposed to today may result in dire consequences in the future. Unfortunately, when the medical establishment discusses cancer response rates and other statistics, they often do not factor in (usually intentionally) health hazards that typically appear after the time period they consider as a "cure" (commonly five years.) There are many reasons for this misinformation, one of the main being the financial implications that are at stake for the "cancer industry."

It is wise to establish a working relationship with a practitioner of natural medicine so that if the time ever comes when cancer must be dealt with, you have someone available to work with who can help you sort out your options during such a stressful time. Even more importantly, you can also get advice about developing a lifestyle that leads you towards wellness and will greatly reduce the risk of cancer and other debilitating diseases from ever occurring in the first place. Remember, prevention is by far the best treatment.


Study details heart problems after childhood cancer
Fri Jun 6, 1:22 PM ET

Survivors of childhood cancer who had aggressive chemotherapy are at increased risk of structural and functional heart problems, a new study indicates.

Both chemotherapy, especially with drugs called anthracyclines, and radiation to the chest are known to increase the risk of heart damage among childhood cancer survivors, Dr. Veronika Velensek of the University Children's Hospital Ljubljana in Slovenia and colleagues note.

To better understand the risk factors for cardiovascular disease among these patients, Velensek and her team performed a battery of tests of heart structure and function in 211 patients who had survived for at least five years after being diagnosed with cancer in childhood. All were treated between 1968 and 1998.

More than half (53 percent) had signs of heart damage.

Individuals treated most recently (1989-1998) were at greatest risk, the researchers found; nearly three-quarters of these patients had heart damage. These patients were all treated with intensive chemotherapy with several drugs, including high doses of anthracyclines, the researchers note.

Patients who underwent radiation were at increased risk of heart valve disease. Those treated for Hodgkin's disease between 1968 and 1988 were at greatest risk. "A possible explanation for this could be that in the time period higher doses of irradiation were used...older radiation therapy techniques were available and less effective shielding was used," the researchers write in the online medical journal BMC Cancer.

Patients who had received a large total dose of anthracyclines and were treated with drugs called alkylating agents at the same time were most likely to have systolic dysfunction, or problems with contraction of the heart's main pumping chambers, as well as enlargement of the chambers on the left side of the heart.

The researchers also found that 46 percent of the patients had below-normal exercise tolerance. While no specific type of treatment was linked to poor fitness, the researchers note, the fact that one third of the patients were sedentary and obese may have been a factor.

SOURCE: BMC Cancer, May 20, 2008.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080606/hl_nm/childhood_cancer_dc&printer=1;_ylt=AlcT99tfsf0niT37lBXmRMQR.3QA

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