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Improving the quality of life
Focusing on breast cancer itself.
Focusing on lung cancer itself.
Focusing on head and neck cancers itself.
Focusing on breast cancer itself.
THE EFFECT OF LONG-TERM AVEMAR TREATMENT ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN BREAST TUMOR PATIENTS
While no clinical study on the anti-tumour effect of Avemar was conducted for breast cancer, there was an open quality-of-life study performed at the Uiversity of Szeged's Clinic of Surgery by Prof. Ádám Balogh, M.D. 55 individuals were enrolled in the study, with a mean age of 55.4 years and an average follow-up period of 32.2 months. The study was based on an EORTC QLQ-C 30 questionnaire. The patient's clinical stage was not a criterion for inclusion, UICC stages I-IV being represented in an almost even distribution. Less than half of patients received simultaneous chemotherapy and/ or radiotherapy.
The patients showed significant improvement in
- Physical function (p<0.05),
- Emotional functions (p<0.001),
- Global state of health (p<0.01), while the following parameters were considerably reduced:
- fatigue (p<0.01),
- nausea and vomiting (p<0.01),
- insomnia (p<0.01)
- constipation(p?0.01). Other parameters not indicated in EORTC-QLQ C30 questionnaire were:
- hair loss (p<0.001),
- antiemetic consumption (p<0.001),
- use of tranquillizers (p<0.05).
The indicated effects manifested themselves within 3 months of beginning treatment and were maintained during the whole observation period.
Focusing on lung cancer itself.
While the anti-tumor effect of Avemar was not tested for lung cancer, a pilot study aimed at investigating it influence on quality of life was conducted on 16 patients (8 male, 8 female, 7 small cell lung cancer(SCLC) and 9 adanocarcinoma). The majority of patients were treated with chemo/radiotherapy. During a mean observation period of 8 ± 2 months a self-control test using an EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaire was conducted. Following treatment with Avemar for 12 weeks, a significant improvement was achieved in the global state of health, social functions and fatigue, with a more modest non-significant positive trend in mood and apetite parameters. The effect on fatigue is of primary importance, although major conclusions, owing to the low number of patients tested, can not be drawn.
Focusing on head and neck cancers itself.
50 patients suffering predominantly from tumours of the larynx and pharynx (as well as several salivary gland and soft tissue cases) were treated with Avemar. The quality of life improved (relief of cachectic symptoms, increase of body weight). Five salivary gland tumour patients remained tumour free on a long-term basis. Conclusions: the relief of cachectic symptoms and increase in body weight can be explained to a certain extent by mechanisms already known, but, in any case, provide, along with its QOL effects, good reasons for using Avemar in oncological therapy.
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