Abstract
Side-effects associated with the cancer chemotherapy limit the scope of chemotherapeutic drugs and no data was available about these side effects in Pakistan. Moreover starvation based differential chemotherapy has been proved to greatly reduce the side effects of chemotherapy depending on starvation time. The current study was conducted to survey the common side effects of the chemotherapeutic drugs and the role of starvation to reduce them. The study included total 100 subjects with multiple carcinomas. A comprehensive questionnaire about starvation inquiry, chemotherapy side effects and their basic information was filled by interviewers as told by patients. There were 48% patients with breast cancer and 11% with uterine cancer. Out of these patients 30%, 28%, 9% and 9% patients were agreed to starve for 12, 24, 36 and 48 hours respectively. The survey regarding the side effects of chemotherapy showed that 43% patients were suffering from headache, fatigue 90%, weakness 95%, hair loss 76%, nausea 77%, vomiting 75%, diarrhea 31%, abdominal cramps 40%, mouth sores 47%, dry mouth 74%, memory impairment 14% and numbness 49%. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in Pakistan. Only 18% of the total patients were agreed to starve for more than one day. Chemotherapy-associated side effects vary greatly and it does not depend upon cancer type. But these side effects depend on multiple factors such as the type and dose of chemotherapeutic drug, patient’s health status and stage of cancer.
Highlights
Cancer is one of the most flourishing diseases of all over the world
A comprehensive questionnaire was established, first part of which was related to basic information, socioeconomic status, patients’ opinion about starvation for different time lengths and their willingness for starvation based differential chemotherapy
This survey included total 100 patients; of which 79 were females and 21 were male. In this group of patients, it was observed that breast cancer (61%) was the most common and uterine cancer (14%) was the second common cancer in the women
Summary
Cancer is one of the most flourishing diseases of all over the world. Cancer incidences and death rates are rapidly increasing world widely and specially in Pakistan [1]. The cancer occurrence could be associated with various environmental, social, cultural, life-style, hormonal and genetic factors [1]. In addition smoking, reduced physical activity and consumption of highly processed and calorie-rich food are the major causes of cancer. Colorectal, lung and prostate cancer are most frequently spreading diseases world widely as well as in Pakistan [2]. It is reported that Pakistani population have the highest rate of breast cancer among any Asian population (except Jews in Israel) and have the highest rates of ovarian cancer of all over the world [3]
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