'Cool' New Treatment for Hot Flashes in Breast Cancer Survivors

[Guest guest]

> 'Cool' New Treatment for Hot Flashes in Breast Cancer Survivors

> http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-05/dmi-nt051208.php

>

>

> An anesthetic injection into a collection of nerves in the neck of breast

> cancer survivors may reduce the severity and frequency of debilitating hot

> flashes and night awakenings associated with breast cancer treatment,

according

> to a new study published in The Lancet Oncology.

>

> Hot flashes and sleep dysfunctions often plague breast cancer survivors,

> especially those who take anti-estrogen medications. Conventional treatments

> have been only partially effective and may carry serious risks. Previous

> research has shown that hot flashes experienced by breast cancer survivors are

> significantly more frequent, severe, and of greater duration than those in

> menopausal women.

>

> Eugene G. Lipov, MD, and Jaydeep R. Joshi, MD, of Advanced Pain Centers,

> Hoffman Estates (Chicago), Ill., and co-authors, conducted a pilot study of

the

> safety and efficacy of the stellate ganglion block in 13 breast cancer

> survivors. It is called a 'stellate' block as it describes the star-shaped

> collection of nerves in the neck which regulates body temperature and

therefore may

> affect quality of sleep. The block, used by practitioners for over 60 years,

> is an injection of a numbing solution near the C6 vertebrae that can be

> performed under either local anesthesia or with 'twilight' sedation. The

injection

> is given with the aid of fluoroscopy (guided X-ray) to ensure correct and

> safe placement of the needle. The procedure takes approximately 10 minutes to

> perform in an outpatient setting.

>

> " Estrogen-depleting drugs used in the fight against breast cancer often

> leave women's bodies defenseless against debilitating hot flashes and the

sleep

> disturbances they cause, " says Lipov. " This small pilot study conducted in

> breast cancer survivors confirms our earlier research on healthy menopausal

> women that the stellate ganglion block can effectively 'shut off' these

troubling

> symptoms. Since these symptoms are generally more severe in women who have

> undergone breast cancer treatment, the block is a significant arsenal in

> helping estrogen-depleted women feel better with few or no side effects. "

>

> Women on hormone replacement therapy were excluded from the study. The 13

> study patients were 30 to 70 years of age (mean age, 53 years). Four of the 13

> patients had been diagnosed with Stage 0 breast cancer (or infiltrating

> ductal carcinoma in situ, the earliest, and noninvasive, cancer stage), 4 had

> Stage 1 cancer, 4 had Stage 2, and 1 had Stage 3. Using two standardized

> measures, each patient recorded the severity and intensity of her hot flashes

and the

> number of night awakenings for 1 week before the procedure and weekly for 12

> weeks postprocedure. The investigators applied a statistically-sound

> estimating equation to analyze the number of hot flashes and night awakenings

over

> time.

>

> If the effect of the stellate ganglion block on hot flashes and night

> awakenings did not last throughout the 12-week study period, the block was

> repeated. The decision to repeat the block was made by the patient if she felt

her

> symptoms were returning. (Multiple blocks have been used for decades without

> increased risk.) Of the 13 women, 5 had only 1 stellate ganglion block and 8

> women had 2 blocks. Women who had 2 blocks generally reported more lasting

> relief of symptoms than after the first procedure.

>

> The total number of hot flashes decreased from a mean of 79.4 week before

> the procedure to a mean of 49.9 per week during the first 2 weeks after the

> treatment. After 2 weeks, the total number of hot flashes continued to decline

> and stabilized at 8.1 per week from weeks 3 through 12. The severity of the

> hot flashes similarly decreased, with the most dramatic drop-off in severity

> occurring within 1 day to 1 week after treatment; the rate of 'very severe'

> flashes remained near zero for the remainder of the follow-up period. The

total

> number of night awakenings decreased by about two-thirds within 2 weeks after

> treatment, from 19.5 per week before the block to 7.3 per week afterwards.

> This number continued to decline throughout the follow-up period and

> stabilized at 1.4 per week. All results were highly statistically significant.

>

> " Hot flashes are a frequent and serious side effect of pharmacological

> treatments for breast cancer. They may even contribute to cancer recurrence by

> discouraging compliance with treatment regimens, as 50% of these patients may

> become noncompliant after 6 months, " Joshi explains. " Long-term relief of

> symptoms has the potential to improve overall quality of life and increase

> compliance with anti-estrogen medications for breast cancer. "

>

> SOURCE:

> The Lancet Oncology, June 2008

>

>

>

>

>

**************

Gas prices getting you down? Search AOL Autos for

fuel-efficient used cars.

(http://autos.aol.com/used?ncid=aolaut00050000000007)