Chemo
A new chemotherapy drug promises to treat some patients with pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) who have been unable to take the other two other chemo medicines because one can cause allergic reactions and the other is frequently in short supply. This summer, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) fast-tracked…
The immediate side effects of chemotherapy, radiation and immunotherapy that treat cancer are well known to those directly affected by them. The reactions can include debilitating nausea, fatigue and dizziness as well as hair loss. What you may not know is that certain adverse effects of these life-saving medicines can…
Often used in conjunction with radiation or surgery, chemotherapy is drug therapy tailored to each individual cancer patient with the aim of preventing cancer spread, slowing cancer growth and killing cancer cells. Unfortunately, it can bring a host of debilitating side effects.
Dry eye disease is irritating and painful. As an optometrist, I know there are many possible causes, but the medicines you take might be the culprit. Drugs are a common part of American life, 36% of people between the ages of 18-44 take between one and four medicines daily and…
The antipsychotic medication Zyprexa (olanzapine) appears to be effective in preventing the nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy. The trial enrolled 380 patients with cancer, the majority of whom had breast cancer. Patients received either chemotherapy plus Zyprexa, or chemotherapy and a placebo. Results, published in the New England Journal…
Bad news, chemo brain exists. Good news, it only affects about 1 in 5 on chemo. More specifically, 1 in 4 had memory problems, 1 in 5 had problems with higher cognition questions. Women who had both chemo and radiation were more likely to have more severe memory and higher-level…
