PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Chronic diseases hinder good cancer survival rates

2013-11-15
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Henrik Toft Sørensen
hts@dce.au.dk
45-87-16-82-15
Aarhus University
Chronic diseases hinder good cancer survival rates There are many people in this position and the number is increasing; cancer patients who not only have to fight against cancer, but also suffer from other diseases. So-called comorbidity is a large and growing problem, not least because we are becoming older and age increases the risk of contracting cancer as well as other diseases.

How much diseases such as diabetes, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), arthritis, depression and cardiovascular disease mean for cancer survival depends on the type of cancer; but the overall picture is the same. Other diseases have a strong negative impact on both the one and five-year survival rate. For example, for breast cancer the five-year survival rate for patients without other diseases is 83 percent. For patients with one or two other chronic diseases the survival rate is 64 percent, while it is 50 percent for those with three or more diseases. This is shown by new figures from the Central Denmark Region that have just been published in a special edition of the scientific journal Clinical Epidemiology. This edition focuses on cancer and comorbidity and is based on research from Aarhus University and Aarhus University Hospital.

Poorer survival to be expected - but not so poor According to Henrik Toft Sørensen, professor of clinical epidemiology at Aarhus University and Aarhus University Hospital, it is to be expected that survival rates are worse if you have a poorer state of health. But it is problematic that a similar improvement in the survival rate of this group of cancer patients has not happened.

"Our studies show that other diseases have a very significant importance for survival, and we can see that these patients have not experienced the same progress in survival rates as other cancer patients have experienced during the last 15 years," says professor Henrik Toft Sørensen, who has written the editorial in the journal.

The problem has previously been overlooked, though there has been greater awareness following the publication of specific figures on the problem 10 years ago.

"It has long been the case that cancer doctors are concerned with cancer, arthritis doctors with arthritis and so on. But increasing attention is being paid to the significance of the patients having other diseases," he says.

Many patients have other diseases It is estimated that around 40 percent of all Danish cancer patients have one or more other diseases with which they have been hospitalised. 30 percent have one or two other diseases, while 10 percent have three or more diseases. This appears from a systematic literature review (SLR) of all of the studies of comorbidity and breast, lung and colon cancer that have been carried out in Denmark and abroad over the past decade. The study is financed by the Danish Cancer Society and has just been published in the journal Clinical Epidemiology, along with the new figures.

That so many also have other diseases is due not only to age but also unhealthy lifestyles. According to Henrik Toft Sørensen, part of the explanation of the poor survival rate can also be found here. Smoking, alcohol and being overweight simply give a poorer rate of survival. After these factors, what means something here is the treatment. Among other things because patients with other diseases have a greatly increased risk of complications, but also because there is a risk of them receiving either too much or too little treatment.

Lack of knowledge about the proper treatment Whether it is the cancer that the patients die of is unclear, explains PhD Mette Søgaard, Clinical Epidemiological Department, Aarhus University and Aarhus University Hospital, who are behind the literature review.

"It is not clear what the patients die of - whether it is the cancer or the other diseases. However, we can see that it is neither due to the fact that they have a more aggressive cancer, that the disease is more advanced when detected, or that the patients are older," she says.

What can be seen, however, is that cancer patients with other diseases do not receive the same treatment as other cancer patients. This is probably because they cannot tolerate the treatment quite as well and because they experience complications more often than other cancer patients. According to Mette Søgaard, it could nonetheless be interesting to investigate whether we use the right treatment.

"There are still a lot of unanswered questions - not least whether some of these patients are receiving too little treatment," she says.

Frede Olesen, chairman of the Danish Cancer Society shares this assessment:

"It is obvious that the treatment must often be individually adapted when there are several concurrent diseases. But basically, the poor results are unsatisfactory and we must focus our research on the reasons for this lack of progress. We have to carefully examine whether the quality of the simultaneous treatment of several diseases is good enough," says Frede Olesen.

### Read the scientific papers here: http://www.dovepress.com/clinical-epidemiology-i833-j43


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

How teens choose their friends

2013-11-15
How teens choose their friends EAST LANSING, Mich. — It's a common perception portrayed in movies from "The Breakfast Club" to "Mean Girls." Teenage friendships are formed by joining cliques such as jocks, geeks and goths. But a national study led by a Michigan State ...

NASA-USGS landsat data yield best view to date of global forest losses, gains

2013-11-15
NASA-USGS landsat data yield best view to date of global forest losses, gains

Cataract surgery saves $123.4 billion in direct, indirect costs, delivers a 4,567 percent return to society

2013-11-15
Cataract surgery saves $123.4 billion in direct, indirect costs, delivers a 4,567 percent return to society Research shows the procedure supports premise that healthcare interventions create substantial patient value and economic wealth NEW ORLEANS – Nov. 15, 2013 – Cataract ...

Variation of halogens in martian soil calls for an atmosphere-surface cycle

2013-11-15
Variation of halogens in martian soil calls for an atmosphere-surface cycle In the November issue of Icarus, researchers from LSU's Department of Geology & Geophysics and Stony Brook's Department of Geosciences assess the details of halogen variability and an ...

Quantum state world record smashed

2013-11-15
Quantum state world record smashed A normally fragile quantum state has been shown to survive at room temperature for a world record 39 minutes, overcoming a key barrier towards building ultrafast quantum computers. The research, published in the journal Science, ...

Can certain herbs stave off Alzheimer's disease?

2013-11-15
Can certain herbs stave off Alzheimer's disease? SLU animal research suggests antioxidant extracts from spearmint, rosemary improve learning and memory ST. LOUIS -- Enhanced extracts made from special antioxidants in spearmint and rosemary improve learning and memory, ...

CHICA, automated system developed by Regenstrief and IU, improves autism screening rate

2013-11-15
CHICA, automated system developed by Regenstrief and IU, improves autism screening rate An automated system developed by researchers from the Regenstrief Institute and Indiana University to help pediatricians focus on the specific health needs of each patient in the ...

Bait research focused on outsmarting destructive beetle

2013-11-15
Bait research focused on outsmarting destructive beetle University of Alberta researchers are closing in on finding an effective bait to get ahead of the destructive spread of mountain pine beetle, which is now killing not only lodgepole pine forests, but jack ...

Whither the teakettle whistle

2013-11-15
Whither the teakettle whistle Work described in the journal 'Physics of Fluids' is a breakthrough in breakfast musings WASHINGTON D.C. Nov. 15, 2013 -- Despite decades of brewing tea in a whistling kettle, the source and mechanism of this siren sound ...

Drug offers promising approach to improve outcome for children with high-risk leukemia

2013-11-15
Drug offers promising approach to improve outcome for children with high-risk leukemia St. Jude Children's Research Hospital leads study showing that a drug withdrawn from the market in 2010 may enhance the effectiveness of bone marrow transplants ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Personalized risk messages fail to boost colorectal cancer screening participation

Something from nothing: Physicists model vacuum tunnelling in a 2D superfluid

CRISPR’s efficiency triples with DNA-wrapped nanoparticles

For the first time in 40 Years, Panama’s deep and cold ocean waters failed to emerge, possibly affecting fisheries and coral health

Depression may make learning to avoid unpleasant events harder

Study sheds light on how pediatric brain tumors grow

Rare seasonal brain shrinkage in shrews is driven by water loss, not cell death

AI co-pilot boosts noninvasive brain-computer interface by interpreting user intent

Black adults face heart failure nearly 14 years earlier than white patients

Study detects multidrug-resistant KPC-producing bacteria in Chilean wastewater for the first time

New artificial intelligence model accurately identifies which atrial fibrillation patients need blood thinners to prevent stroke

Safety of factor XI inhibition with abelacimab in atrial fibrillation by kidney function

Combination of mini-camera and AI predicts recurrent heart attack

Study Reveals Details of Overactive Immune System in Patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS)

UTSA and UT Health San Antonio complete merger to become The University of Texas at San Antonio

Helicobacter pylori screening after acute myocardial infarction

Solar Orbiter traces superfast electrons back to Sun

GaN-based electron beam technology from Nagoya University startup poised to overcome critical semiconductor manufacturing challenges at KIOXIA

Circle versus rectangle: Finding ‘Earth 2.0’ may be easier using a new telescope shape

Metformin changes blood metal levels in humans

Long-term anticoagulation discontinuation after catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation

Fractional flow reserve–guided complete vs culprit-only revascularization in non–ST-elevation myocardial infarction and multivessel disease

Participation of women in cardiovascular trials from 2017 to 2023

Semaglutide and tirzepatide in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction

Changes in biology of internal fat may be the leading cause of heart failure

Transcatheter or surgical treatment of patients with aortic stenosis at low to intermediate risk

Promising new drug for people with stubborn high blood pressure

One shot of RSV vaccine effective against hospitalization in older adults for two seasons

Bivalent RSV prefusion F protein–based vaccine for preventing cardiovascular hospitalizations in older adults

Clonal hematopoiesis and risk of new-onset myocarditis and pericarditis

[Press-News.org] Chronic diseases hinder good cancer survival rates