Hope Is the Key to Successful Cancer Treatment
No matter where you are in cancer treatment or what your prognosis, hope is an important part of your treatment success. That doesn’t necessarily mean that you hope for a cure — although many people, especially among those whose cancer was diagnosed at an early stage, hope for exactly that. People who have survived cancer hope that their cancer won’t return. And even those for whom a cure isn’t likely have hope, too — they hope to spend time with loved ones and friends, go on an anticipated vacation, attend a school reunion, maintain their quality of life, and keep cancer from progressing.
Why Hope Is Important
Having hope in the face of cancer treatment can help you feel better about where you are in life, but that’s not the only reason it’s important. Feelings of hope — whether they’re for a cure or for other realistic goals — can help you to better come to terms with your cancer diagnosis and what it means for your future, but they can also boost your overall pain tolerance and improve your quality of life. Cancer patients who are hopeful are more psychologically resilient, and benefit from better self-esteem.
Cultivating Hope During Cancer Treatment
You might think of hope as something that just happens to you, but in fact, hope is something you can nurture through your actions. Cultivating hope in the midst of adversity requires four steps:
- Sizing up the situation
- Thinking about it
- Making new goals
- Putting the situation in a new context
Cultivating hope isn’t just something you do by yourself, however. The others in your life can bolster — or tear down — your feelings of hope. Friends, loved ones, and members of your treatment team can help you stay hopeful during treatment. Reach out to coworkers, family members, friends, fellow worshippers at church, and members of your treatment team for support, encouragement, and compassion. It could make a big difference.
Your sense of control over your illness and your own sense of determination to meet your personal goals can also influence your ability to feel hope. But without hope, you’ll suffer from feelings of emotional and psychological distress and fear; hopelessness could even cause your health to suffer and impair your cancer treatment.
If your cancer was diagnosed at an early stage and you hope for a cure, then reading testimonials from cancer survivors can help you nurture your feelings of hope. Even if your prognosis is less encouraging, you can begin to find hope by adapting to your diagnosis. Cancer is not your whole life; keep the bigger picture in mind. Focus on what’s important to you – family, traveling, or hobbies, for example. Doing your best to maintain a normal routine can help.
Many cancer patients maintain their sense of hope by avoiding any negative thoughts or information that could discourage them. Taking steps to actively avoid statistics about your specific type of cancer, or your prognosis, isn’t denial as long as you accept the reality of your diagnosis. Instead, it can be an important part of maintaining your sense of optimism and mental health.
While it might seem difficult to cultivate hope in the face of a cancer diagnosis, doing so can improve your treatment outcomes and your quality of life. Don’t let your cancer diagnosis distract you from the things that matter.
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Don’t Let Depression Sabotage Your Breast Cancer Treatment
Between 9 and 25 percent of women with breast cancer will also be diagnosed with depression. Even according to the most conservative estimates, women with breast cancer are twice as likely as the general population to be diagnosed with depression. And that’s a big deal, because depression is more than just an emotional phenomenon — it causes physiological symptoms that can make breast cancer harder to treat, and significantly raise your rate of recurrence.
It’s not unusual to experience feelings of depression following a breast cancer diagnosis. Being diagnosed with breast cancer fundamentally changes your life, and can force you to re-evaluate your priorities. If you’re diagnosed with breast cancer and experience feelings of depression, seeking treatment for your depression can be a matter of survival.
The Link Between Depression and Breast Cancer
The reason so many women with breast cancer are diagnosed with depression is because the two disorders are linked. While doctors don’t yet fully understand how one condition contributes to the other, they do know that cancer cells produce chemicals that can cause depression symptoms. Once depression sets in, it can promote the spread or recurrence of cancer. A depressed woman who does not have breast cancer is more likely than her non-depressed counterpart to be diagnosed with the disease. A woman with breast cancer who develops depression can experience a 25 to 35 percent increase in recurrence rates.
That’s because depression is, at its core, an inflammatory disease. It interferes with the immune system to cause breast cancer as well as other diseases. In a study performed at the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine, researchers discovered that women who have been successfully treated for breast cancer retain breast cancer cells within their bone marrow. A later illness, like depression, diabetes, or obesity, can cause those cells to activate.
Fighting Depression Caused by Breast Cancer
If you’re experience depression during breast cancer treatment, you need psychotherapy in order to combat it. Many women say they benefit the most from talk therapy, which can help them figure out how to best cope with their disease and care for themselves emotionally. Antidepressants are another option, and most doctors recommend regular exercise to help breast cancer patients fight depressed mood.
Breast cancer treatment can affect your energy levels. When you get radiation treatment for breast cancer, or have surgery, it can leave your arms and chest feeling sore and stiff. Doctors recommend gentle exercise, like walking, to boost energy levels, combat fatigue, and stave off depression. Gentle activities that stretch and strengthen the arms, like yoga or tai chi, can also help boost mood, improve muscle tone, and support recovery.
You should try to get at least two hours of moderate exercise per week — two hours of brisk walking, for example, has been linked with a 40 percent reduction in risk of death among breast cancer patients and survivors. Don’t overdo it; excessive exercise during or immediately after cancer surgery or other treatment could impair your recovery. Avoid any activities that raise your body temperature, like hot yoga, since these could increase your risk of lymphedema.
Many women who are diagnosed with breast cancer also struggle with depression; if you’re one of them, get help. Not getting depression help could seriously impact the success of your breast cancer therapy, but getting depression treatment could promote your recovery and protect you from recurrence.
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When Prostate Cancer Comes Back: What You Need to Know
If you’ve been treated for prostate cancer successfully in the past, recurrence of your cancer is probably your worst nightmare. But you should know that prostate cancer recurrence is far from a death sentence. Most men with prostate cancer don’t die of it — even when the cancer is recurrent.
Twenty to 30 percent of men who have been successfully treated for prostate cancer will experience a relapse more than five years after treatment, even if they have received a prostatectomy. But you don’t need to rush into aggressive treatment just because your cancer has come back. The speed with which your PSA levels return and the rate at which they rise will help your doctor determine whether you should pursue aggressive treatment, or adopt a wait-and-see approach.
Does Your Recurrent Prostate Cancer Warrant Aggressive Treatment?
Most men who experience a recurrence of prostate cancer don’t need aggressive treatment, say doctors at Johns Hopkins. While a recurrence of prostate cancer sounds scary, the most common types of this cancer are slow-growing. It’s not whether or not you have a recurrence of prostate cancer, but how quickly your PSA values double in the first two years after recurrence — a factor known as PSA doubling time — that determines whether or not you should get prostate cancer treatment again right away. Other factors doctors look at to assess your need for aggressive treatment include how soon your PSA levels return after treatment, and your Gleason score.
If your PSA values return within three years of treatment, your doubling time is shorter than three months, and your Gleason score is eight or above, you’re considered highest-risk and you should consider pursuing aggressive treatment for your prostate cancer. The 15 year survival rates are low — less than one percent, so aggressive further treatment is the best option.
However, if your doubling time is longer than 15 months, your PSA values take longer than three years to return, and your Gleason score is lower than eight, you have a good chance of surviving even though your prostate cancer has returned. Men with these factors have a 94 percent rate of survival.
Coping with Prostate Cancer Recurrence
If your prostate cancer comes back, your doctor will decide, based on your specific situation, whether your cancer is aggressive and likely to spread or whether it is of the more common, slow-growing type. If you’re part of the majority of men whose recurrent prostate cancer is slow-growing, you and your doctor may decide to do nothing at first; it can be perfectly safe to wait and monitor prostate cancer, sometimes for years. Your doctor may recommend radiation therapy or chemotherapy to slow the growth of the cancer itself. Hormone therapy may help slow or stop the progression of your prostate cancer by blocking the mechanism of the male hormones that prostate cancer cells need to grow.
If you’re one of the 20 to 30 percent of men whose prostate cancer comes back after initially successful treatment, there’s good news — you still have a fairly good chance of survival. Your doctor will let you know what, if any, cancer treatment you need, so you can make the decision that’s best for you.
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3 Ways to Make Sure Your Cancer Treatment Plan Works for You
A cancer diagnosis can be one of the most overwhelming to receive, and if you’re like many patients, you may feel rushed to make decisions about your treatment. While your doctor may want you to start looking at treatment options as soon as you receive your diagnosis, you’ll most likely have some time to think things over and decide for yourself what treatment plan will work best for you. Remember that your ultimate decision doesn’t have to be set in stone — if you change your mind about treatment midway through the process, that’s okay, too.
1) Don’t Face the Decision-Making Process Alone
Choosing a cancer treatment center and a treatment plan is a big deal, and you need support. Your doctor can offer you the support of his or her expertise, but you can also get support from friends and loved ones. A support group or counselor can also help.
It’s okay to not want to make all of your treatment decisions — many people leave some or all of these decisions up to their treatment team or a designated friend or relative. Some people don’t even want to know details about the treatment they’re receiving or their chances of survival. Alternatively, you may want the final say on any decisions regarding your treatment.
2) Choose a Hospital or Treatment Center
Whether you ultimately go with a specialized cancer treatment center, like our cancer center in Los Angeles, or a community or academic hospital is up to you. A large, specialized cancer treatment center will give you access to many different treatment methods and cancer specialists in the same building, and will make it easier for your treatment team to collaborate. However, if you live far from such an institution, a local community or research hospital may be the best choice. Some things to consider when choosing a hospital include:
- Is this hospital convenient to my home, and if not, can I afford to travel to it?
- Will I be able to undergo clinical trials at this hospital?
- Does the hospital offer support groups for me and my family?
- Will my insurance cover treatment here?
- Does the doctor who will be in charge of my treatment have a good reputation?
Research your cancer treatment options carefully, and understand the differences in treatment approach between a cancer center and a general hospital.
3) Keep Talking to Your Doctor
Your goals for and feelings about treatment may change as treatment progresses. Most cancer treatment options cause side effects that can affect your quality of life; your doctor will be more than willing to offer palliative care to help relive these side effects. 
If side effects are too severe or you have second thoughts about your treatment decision, you’re allowed to change your mind. Treatment can affect your health, career, and personal life in ways you might not expect. It’s part of your treatment team’s job to help you cope with these changes.
While making a decision about cancer treatment can be daunting, it’s not something you should have to do alone. Friends, loved ones, and a supportive treatment team can help you make the best decision for you, and help you ensure that you’re pursuing the right options throughout your treatment.
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5 Foods You Should Eat During Cancer Treatment
Cancer treatments can take a harsh toll on your body, and keeping your strength up isn’t easy. Getting plenty of sleep, exercising regularly, and eating well are all important parts of taking care of yourself during cancer treatment.
But those things are easier said than done. Eating can be especially difficult, as cancer treatment side effects can make it hard to chew, swallow, and keep down food. When you’re going through cancer treatment, focus on eating nutritious, calorie-dense foods like some of these.
Eggs
Eggs are packed with protein, making them an excellent choice for people going through cancer treatment. One egg contains seven grams of protein, about as much as an ounce of cheese, fish, poultry, or beef. Eggs also contain selenium, a mineral that could ease the side effects of chemotherapy and boost your immune system during cancer treatment. The vitamins D and E in eggs may protect your body from some of the toxic effects of chemotherapy, and may combat feelings of numbness in the hands and feet that occur due to chemotherapy.
Plus, eggs are soft and easy to chew and swallow. That’s a bonus if you’re struggling with a sore mouth and throat due to cancer treatment.
Yogurt
Another easy-to-swallow food, yogurt, contains plenty of protein and calcium for strong bones, which is especially important for women going through treatment for reproductive cancers. Just make sure you choose live-culture yogurt, since it’s these probiotics that are largely responsible for helping you stay healthy during cancer treatment. Probiotics help prevent constipation and diarrhea by supporting an appropriate balance of intestinal flora.
Broth
It’s always important to stay hydrated, but it’s even more important to do so when you’re going through cancer treatment and experiencing side effects like vomiting and diarrhea. Whether it’s beef, chicken, or vegetable broth, the salty liquid will help keep your body’s electrolytes in balance. Even a clear miso soup will do. These foods may also contain other vitamins and minerals that can help you stay healthy.
Of course, doctors recommend consuming eight to 12 cups of liquid a day to prevent dehydration during cancer treatment, and that’s a lot of broth. Popsicles, water, pasteurized juice, and sports drinks are also good ways to say hydrated during cancer treatment.
Legumes and Beans
Legumes and beans are among the most nutritious foods you can eat during cancer treatment. They’re rich in B vitamins and protein, which your body needs for everything from cell repair to immunity and healing. Beans and legumes are also high in fiber, which can help protect you from diarrhea or constipation. Peas and lentils are two of the best choices.
Vegetables and Fruits
When you’re going through cancer treatment, doctors advise filling up at least half of your plate with vegetables and fruits. Leafy green vegetables are a particularly good choice, since they’re rich in vitamins A, E, and K. They also contain a lot of iron, to keep your blood healthy. Cruciferous vegetables, like broccoli and cauliflower, contain antioxidant compounds that may stop cancer cells from growing. In one study by the National Cancer Institute, eating one to two cups of cruciferous vegetables a day caused participants to experience a 22 percent decrease in oxidative cellular damage caused by free radicals. Get more vegetables and fruits in your diet by snacking on them during the day.
Good nutrition is a vital part of cancer treatment, since it can help your body stay strong. The right foods may even fight the cancer itself. The better you’re able to eat, the more strength and energy you’ll have to draw from throughout the course of your treatment.
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