Corel Medical Series: Cancer/Corel Medical Series: Cancer.iso/mac/Program/p17.dxr/00076_Field_SRC.p17.A.4.txt

Text File | 1997-01-30 | 2KB | 18 lines

• Changes in energy production and the availability of nutrients may cause fatigue. The tumor itself may make
  the body function in an overactive or "hypermetabolic" state, for example. Tumor cells compete for nutrients,
  often at the expense of normal cells' growth and metabolism. Weight loss, reduced appetite and fatigue are often
  the result.
• Disease complications and/or treatment side effects such as anemia , infection and fever can create additional
  energy needs that your usual food intake cannot supply alone. Nutritional supplements and therapy may be
  needed.
• Also associated with fatigue are diagnostic tests, anesthesia, surgery, radiation therapy , chemotherapy ,
  biotherapy and drugs used to control symptoms and side effects such as nausea, vomiting, pain and insomnia.
• Eighty to 96 percent of all chemotherapy patients experience fatigue, which is perceived to be more distressing
  and disabling than nausea and vomiting.
• Drugs such as vincristine and vinblastine may cause fatigue because of their toxic effects on nerves
  (neurotoxicity). With cisplatin , low magnesium levels, along with neurotoxicity , may cause fatigue.
• Fatigue that increases over time (cumulative fatigue) occurs in radiotherapy patients regardless of treatment
  site. This usually improves within one month but may last up to three months after treatment stops.
• Fatigue may become so severe during biotherapy that treatment dosages may be limited.
• As cancer cells die in response to therapy, certain substances are released that may contribute to fatigue. More
  attention has recently been paid to the possible role of cytokines in the development of fatigue. Cytokines are