During the treatment phase of cancer care over 75% of adult patients complain of pain, sleep disruption, fatigue and cognitive impairment. Cancer related fatigue and cognitive impairment can be severe, persistent and not resolve with tumour control or treatment cessation. Even more compelling is the fact that as long as 10-20 years after successful treatment as many as 48% of adult cancer survivors complain of persistent fatigue, depressive symptoms, poor memory and attention, difficulty multitasking and a decrease in their executive functions. A highly individualised health-focused integrative approach is required for these people.
The demand for our expertise in this field is growing. With continued improvements in disease-free survival after cancer treatment there is an increasing number of survivors of cancer. Currently over 15 million in the US alone with projections for 19 million by 2024 and 26 million by 2040. The statistics for Europe, Canada, New Zealand and Australia follow these trends.
Cancer itself, as well as patient’s cancer treatment, profoundly affect healthy function. Short-term adverse effects include myelosuppression, neuropathy, mucositis, enteritis, nausea, sleep disruption and fatigue. These effects typically occur during, or immediately after, treatment.
Patients living with cancer as a chronic illness continue to suffer ongoing adverse effects of their long-term treatments. Their experience includes endocrine disruptions, hepatoxicity, nephrotoxicity and cardiotoxicity.
Chemotherapy, radiotherapy, hormonal and biotherapies as well as cancer biology itself are associated with significant increases in inflammatory cytokines and reactive oxygen species in the brain. Immune cells, responding to inflammation, traverse the blood-brain barrier and increase local inflammation affecting emotional and cognitive function. These patients often show loss of grey and white matter and have functional and structural changes that resemble accelerated brain ageing.
Interventions including natural compounds, acupuncture, functional foods, diet and lifestyle modifications, and brain rehabilitation therapies can be used to prevent damage and restore function and quality of life to these patients allowing them to return to full and productive lives after treatment.
