MedifocusHealth

Cancer patients are confronted with a variety of physical, emotional, and social issues that, if left unchecked or ignored, can rapidly contribute to a diminished quality of life. In general, some of the more common problems encountered by cancer patients either as a result of the disease itself or as a side-effect of cancer treatments include:

• Sleep disorders
• Fatigue
• Diminished exercise capacity
• Unintentional weight loss
• Psychological stress
• Cancer-related pain

Sleep Disorders

Lack of adequate sleep due to anxiety, stress, pain, or treatment side-effects can lead to severe daytime fatigue that, in turn, can interfere with the ability to function and perform routine activities of daily living. Perhaps now, more than ever before, getting an adequate amount of sleep is critical to enable the body and mind to cope with the additional physical and emotional burdens resulting from cancer and its treatment. If sleep disturbances begin to affect your functional ability and diminish your quality of life, a variety of options are available to deal with the problem. These treatment options include learning new sleep habits (improved sleep hygiene practices); complementary therapies (e.g., relaxation techniques, biofeedback, meditation); and the use of prescription sleep medications. If lack of sleep is affecting your quality of life and interfering with your activities of daily living, talk with your doctor about developing an individualized treatment plan to help improve your quality of sleep.

Fatigue

Fatigue is perhaps the most common and potentially debilitating symptom experienced by cancer patients that can have a significant negative impact on routine activities of daily living and diminish quality of life. Fatigue may be attributed to a variety of causes including side-effects of cancer treatments (e.g., chemotherapy, radiation therapy), anemia, sleep deprivation resulting from insomnia, chronic pain, inadequate nutrition, and lack of physical exercise. In many cases, a combination of factors contributes to fatigue, exhaustion, and a general lack of energy. It is important to notify your cancer specialist or primary health care provider if you begin to experience bouts of fatigue lasting a few days or longer.

A variety of strategies are available to overcome the problem of fatigue in cancer patients. Fatigue related to anemia (low numbers of red blood cells) can be treated with blood transfusions and drugs, such as erythropoietin (e.g., Procrit) that promote the production of red blood cells. Fatigue not related to anemia may be managed with lifestyle modifications such as proper nutrition, regular exercise, and improved sleep hygiene practices.

Exercise

In the past, cancer patients were usually advised to "relax", "take it easy" and "don't overdo it". More recently, however, doctors are beginning to realize the potential benefits of physical exercise for cancer patients undergoing treatment as well as for cancer survivors. Researchers are continuing to explore the effect of physical exercise on survival rates for various types of cancers. In general, the potential benefits of physical activity for patients suffering from chronic diseases include enhanced physical and mental function and improved quality of life. For cancer patients, the potential benefits of exercise also include decreased fatigue, improved appetite, better toleration of side effects of chemotherapy and radiation therapy, and improved quality of life.