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Washington, July 15 (PTI) Testosterone therapy can help prevent body mass loss in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and improve their quality of life.
Many cancer patients suffer from mass loss.
About 20% of cancer-related deaths are attributed to cachexia syndrome, which in cancer patients is often characterized by rapid or severe loss of fat and skeletal muscle.
Melinda Sheffield-Moore, professor at the University of Texas United States have shown that the testosterone hormone is effective at fighting cachexia in cancer patients
It currently does not exist no treatment targeting this loss of skeletal muscle, and without intervention, patients lose muscle function and become fatigued and weakened
. Research, published in the Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle, can help cancer patients improve their quality of life and stay eligible for standard therapy if cachexia results
"We hoped to demonstrate that these patients do not would not feel well. enough to even get out of bed to at least be able to have a basic quality of life that allows them to take care of themselves and receive thera py, "Sheffield-Moore said. [19659002] A previous nutrition-focused treatment failed to combat this serious loss of body mass, prompting researchers to study the testosterone hormone as a solution to combat the debilitating effects of cachexia "We already know that testosterone builds skeletal muscle in healthy people, so we tried to use it in a population at high risk of muscle loss so that these patients could maintain their strength and performance. to be able to receive standard therapies. "Sheffield-Moore
During this five-year study funded by the National Cancer Institute, patients with cancer called squamous cell carcinoma were treated with standard chemotherapy and / or radiation therapy in addition to seven weeks of testosterone therapy. or a placebo. Throughout the study, patients were monitored for changes in physical activity, muscle mass and fat and tested for physical performance.
Patients in this study were given testosterone to maintain their total body mass and increase their lean body mass by 3.2%. Maintaining body mass is important if one considers that body mass decreases by 20% or more depending on the type of cancer.
"Patients randomized to the group receiving testosterone as adjunct to their chemotherapy and / or radiation treatment regimen also demonstrated improved physical activity," Sheffield-Moore said.
"They felt well enough to get up and take care of some of their basic activities of daily living, such as cooking, cleaning and bathing. "PTI MHN MHN
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This is an unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India feed.
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