As scientists break new ground in cancer research, more and more nontreatment trials have become available. Below are some common types, but there are even more out there that may help you manage treatment side effects and learn more about the condition.
Smoking Cessation
It’s common knowledge that quitting smoking can help improve your health. But if you have cancer, it becomes even more important, because smoking regularly is linked to poor outcomes in cancer care.
What’s encouraging is that people who successfully stop smoking following a cancer diagnosis can see improvements in treatment response. And trials can provide guidance on how to do so.
Exercise
Research shows physical activity may help lower the risk of cancer progression, recurrence, and mortality. And the more active you are, the better the cancer outcome, generally speaking. Physical activity is studied in a wide range of cancer-related contexts, from how presurgery endurance exercise affects biomarkers in people with early stage prostate cancer to how participation in a supervised exercise program may improve quality of life for people with metastatic breast cancer.
With exercise, “People feel better, have a better emotional state, and, in many cases, are more able to maintain function,” says Hawk.
Dietary Changes
Dietary interventions have been a long-standing interest in cancer care. Preclinical studies have found that dietary changes may improve how the immune system responds to cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and radiation. More research is needed about specific diet recommendations, but clinical trials on dietary interventions for cancer continue to emerge.
Acupuncture and Massage
If you’re considering adding complementary therapies to your care plan, acupuncture and massage trials may be worth exploring. A randomized clinical trial of people with advanced cancer found that the participants who underwent weekly acupuncture or massage sessions reported less pain and improved fatigue, insomnia, and quality of life.
Meditation
Mindfulness-based practices, such as meditation, are thought to be a cost-effective way to help ease symptoms of cancer progression and relieve treatment side effects. Plus, meditation may also help relieve the stress, anxiety, and depression that often accompany cancer. It continues to be explored as a complementary treatment.
Cannabis
The medicinal use of cannabis is receiving more attention when it comes to cancer care. Although some studies have found it may help ease nausea, pain, and vomiting and boost appetite in people undergoing chemotherapy, guidelines from the American Society of Clinical Oncology currently support the use of medical cannabis in clinical trial settings only.
Read the full article here
