81% of oncologists with cancer will refuse chemotherapy? Does chemotherapy really work? Here comes the truth

Xiao Zhang was diagnosed with lymphoma the previous year. After surgical removal of the superficial lymph nodes, he began to receive chemotherapy.

After the first treatment, Xiao Zhang started to lose his hair. It turned out that his hair volume was amazing, and he had no genetic baldness, so he had no choice but to wear a hat every day.

Unexpectedly, during the 8th chemotherapy, Xiao Zhang's platelets suddenly plummeted, and even if he took the white needle on time, it did not improve. The doctor said that Xiao Zhang's physical condition was no longer able to continue chemotherapy , and he was advised to go home to recuperate.

So Xiao Zhang had to be discharged from the hospital. Although he had regular follow-up visits after returning home to recuperate, his physical condition deteriorated every day. He passed away at home one year later at the age of 26.

After hearing the news of Xiao Zhang's death, neighbors speculated that he left so quickly because "chemotherapy accelerated the progress of cancer".

"I heard that 81% of doctors refuse chemotherapy after they get cancer. The doctors themselves are unwilling to use the method, but they still put it on the patient , alas..." One of the neighbors, Aunt Li, sighed.

Does chemotherapy really accelerate patient death? Does cancer chemotherapy actually work?

1. 81% of doctors refuse chemotherapy? you may have been fooled

There is a saying widely circulated on the Internet: "If you have cancer, more than 81% of oncology departments will refuse chemotherapy." This statement actually originated from an article in the United States 30 years ago.

The article mentioned that in 1986, a research team conducted a questionnaire survey of 79 oncologists at McGill Cancer Center in Canada. When asked if they would be willing to undergo chemotherapy when they were sick, 64 of them responded unequivocally that they would not .

Thus, "81% of doctors refused chemotherapy" statement appeared.

In fact, the background of the investigation at the time was that cisplatin chemotherapy was just emerging as an experimental drug for the treatment of lung cancer, due to insufficient data, unclear efficacy and obvious side effects .

Out of a responsible attitude towards patients, doctors are controversial about its use , and some doctors are more worried that chemotherapy will lead to overtreatment and that its toxicological effects may cause unnecessary suffering to patients.

In fact, in 1991 Harvard did a more systematic investigation. The researchers recruited 51 oncologists and found that oncologists varied in their willingness to receive chemotherapy, but none of the participating physicians chose the "absolutely reject chemotherapy" option .

In fact, chemotherapy uses cytotoxic drugs to damage the replication function of double-stranded DNA of cancer cells. When combined with immunotherapy, it can accelerate the necrosis of cancer cells, so that cancer cells can release antigens that can help the immune system to recognize cancer cells, so that they can be more targeted. Sexually kill cancer cells.

At the same time, chemotherapy can also rapidly reduce the tumor burden. When combined with other treatments, it is possible to obtain better efficacy and longer control time .

During chemotherapy, it does affect normal cells, such as bone marrow cells and gastrointestinal mucosal cells and other fast-growing cells, which may be killed by chemotherapy. But normal cells generally recover faster , and these adverse reactions are predictable, controllable and preventable, so don't worry too much.

Pan Zhanhe, deputy chief physician of the Oncology Department of Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated to Xiamen University, said that for suitable cancer types and patients, chemotherapy has more advantages than disadvantages . Cancers such as leukemia, lymphoma, testicular cancer and choriocarcinoma are highly sensitive to chemotherapy, so the effect of chemotherapy is good.

2. Chemotherapy in 3 cases may do more harm than good !

Do I have to do chemotherapy after being diagnosed with cancer? In fact, chemotherapy is really not something that patients can do if they want to. It also needs to be comprehensively considered in combination with various factors such as cancer type, cancer stage, and cancer type before making a decision.

For example, patients with the following conditions are not suitable for chemotherapy:

1. Very early stage cancer

Such as early invasive carcinoma of the esophagus, carcinoma in situ of the gastrointestinal tract and stage IA carcinoma, as well as carcinoma in situ of the lung, etc., the disease of these patients is detected early, and the risk of recurrence and metastasis after surgery is generally low. Chemotherapy with great bodily harm is used for treatment.

2, chemotherapy effect is poor

If the patient has undergone chemotherapy for many times, and the prescription has been changed many times, it has no effect. The high probability is because the body has produced resistance genes to various drugs. At this time, it is not recommended that the patient continue to undergo chemotherapy to suffer unnecessary pain.

In addition, cancers such as liver cancer, melanoma, thyroid cancer and renal clear cell carcinoma are not sensitive to chemotherapy drugs, so the effect of chemotherapy is limited, so these patients are not recommended for chemotherapy.

3. Abnormal organ function

Patients with poor cardiopulmonary function, acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, moderate-to-severe respiratory dysfunction, or moderate-to-severe hepatic and renal insufficiency (such as renal insufficiency, active liver disease, etc.) are not suitable for chemotherapy.

In addition, patients with high fever, active pulmonary tuberculosis, severe pneumonia and other co-infections, as well as patients with suppressed bone marrow function, intestinal obstruction, bleeding from a certain organ or gastrointestinal tract, mental disorders, etc., cannot do chemotherapy. .

If the patient's white blood cells are lower than 3.510^9, platelets are lower than 5010^9, and neutrophils are lower than 1.5*10^9, chemotherapy cannot be performed temporarily.

3. "Random supplements" during chemotherapy may accelerate cancer recurrence

Chemotherapy is given to cancer patients in order to eliminate the remaining cancer cells in the body. However, some studies have found that if the supplement is inappropriate during chemotherapy, it may lead to cancer recurrence.

For the study, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO), the research team recruited 2,716 breast cancer patients diagnosed with stages 1-3 and asked them to report dietary supplements before diagnosis, before treatment, and after chemotherapy. usage.

The study found that in patients receiving three chemotherapy drugs, doxorubicin (doxorubicin), cyclophosphamide, and paclitaxel:

Antioxidants (vitamins A, C, and E, carotenoids, and coenzyme Q10) before and during chemotherapy had a 41% increased risk of recurrence and a 40% increased risk of death, compared with a 79% increased risk of recurrence with iron supplementation .

In this regard, the researcher said that although the observational study was small, she thought the results were convincing. Antioxidants, vitamin B12, iron supplements, and omega-3 fatty acids may affect breast cancer outcomes if patients take antioxidants, vitamin B12, iron supplements, and omega-3 fatty acids before and during chemotherapy .

How should patients eat well during chemotherapy?

1. Light and easy to digest

During chemotherapy, patients should eat some light, easy-to-digest, high-nutrient and high-vitamin foods, and adequate dietary fiber supplements, those that are fried, high-fat, too sweet, too salty, too cold, too hot, spicy or have a strong smell Do not eat any food.

At the same time, alcoholic, caffeinated and strong tea beverages are prohibited. It is recommended to eat .

2. Eat some acidic foods

Acidic foods can relieve nausea and vomiting to a certain extent. It is recommended that chemotherapy patients can eat yogurt, light pickles, orange juice and lemon juice. When nauseated, you can drink mints, hard candies, drink some lemon tea, or eat some sour fruits, such as hawthorn, mangosteen , etc.

3. Drink as little water as possible

During chemotherapy, it is necessary to avoid drinking a lot of water quickly. It is recommended to drink as little water as possible before and after eating. In addition to diet, sleep is also important for chemotherapy patients. It is recommended to ensure adequate sleep and try to avoid sleeping too much during the day and affecting sleep at night.

At present, chemotherapy is still one of the main methods of treating cancer, and with the advancement of medicine, not only the efficacy of drugs has been improved, but the side effects of chemotherapy drugs have gradually decreased, and there are more methods to alleviate the side effects of chemotherapy.

References:

[1] " Li Zhizhong. Eighty percent of doctors refuse chemotherapy? Bullshit ". Health Times. 2017-05-09

[2] Is chemotherapy a blessing or a curse for cancer patients? Doctor's reminder: Chemotherapy side effects can be effectively alleviated ". Nanfang Daily. 2022-05-06

[3] " Vomiting, hair loss, loss of appetite, and wanting to give up chemotherapy, the oncologist tells you you should do it → ". Fudan University Cancer Hospital. 2020-12-11

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