Prostate Cancer Sufferers Could Soon Be Able To Have A Brief Chemo Holiday
Once prostate cancer has moved out of the prostate and extended into other parts of the body it is referred to as advanced prostate cancer and treatment is far more difficult than when the disease is confined to the prostate.
If your cancer has not spread too widely and is not especially aggressive it is possible not merely to treat it but in fact to cure it. In many cases however where the disease is widespread, or is too aggressive, treatment is a case of simply slowing the progression of the disease and giving you the best possible quality of life.
Presently one of the principle treatments for advanced prostate cancer is intravenous chemotherapy frequently using a drug known as docetaxal. This is a very effective drug for many people and does indeed hold back the progression of prostate cancer and extend the life of many people. Nevertheless, it does have its side effects which include things like nausea, hair loss, loss of appetite and an increased risk of infection. It is here therefore that we meet one of the biggest problems in the treatment of advanced prostate cancer.
If you are treating a condition which cannot be cured and which will kill you sooner or later, then extending your life by holding back the progression of the cancer is good as long as that treatment gives you an acceptable quality of life and does not end up being worse than the disease itself.
For a significant number of prostate cancer patients, who are often in their 60s or older, chemotherapy is not exactly pleasant but is a price worth paying to buy them some time when they initially start their treatment. But, as time goes by and the side effects start to build up the picture frequently changes and many patients start to question whether or not it is worth it. Naturally this is never a simple question to answer and has to be the subject of a discussion between yourself, your family and your physician.
A lot of us will be familiar with this situation either as a result of our own personal experience with illness or as a result of our experience of seeing a family member of close friend in this situation and know well just how difficult a time it can be.
Now, however, there may be a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel as studies involving a sizeable group of patients with metastatic prostate cancer suggest that many people might be able to take a 'chemo holiday' without any significant damage to their treatment. Put another way, after several weeks of chemo, and at a time when the side effects are really staring to get you down, you might be able to simply stop your treatment for a while and let your body recover a little before carrying on with your treatment.
Naturally it is early days yet and nobody is exactly sure yet just how long a 'chemo holidays' might be or how frequently you can take them, but for many advanced prostate cancer patients this apparently small advance in treatment may make a world of difference.
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