Thyroid Dysfunction
According to an investigation published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, immunotherapy and targeted therapy (including anti-neoplastic agents) specifically target signaling pathways in cancer cells. In about 20-50% of cancer patients they can be linked to thyroid dysfunction, and can result in adverse effects on patientsı quality of life.
New antineoplastic agents that prevent specific cellular processes to restrict the growth of cancer cells have been introduced over the past twenty years. Some of these agents can cause thyroid dysfunction, and due to the complexity of the clinical procedure, can be overlooked by doctors when examining the patient. Thyroid Dysfunction presents symptoms such as loss of memory, fatigue, weakness, depression and cardiovascular effects. If thyroid dysfunction is not diagnosed it can severely restrict the quality of life of the patient.
Ole-Petter Riksfjord Hamnvik, M.D., is of the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Hypertension at Brigham and Womenıs Hospital in Boston. His team analyzed reports about thyroid dysfunction in patients with cancer, to get a better understanding of the adverse effects antineoplastic agents can have. They discovered that there are no real known methods that can stop patients who are receiving these agents from developing thyroid disease. They also found that measures to prevent thyroid disease from forming may actually be more detrimental than the disease itself.
The team suggested that there are several areas that need to be researched further to develop a better understanding of the biological effects of antineoplastic agents on the thyroid, in order for them to be able to identify any potential strategies to improve screenings.
According to the team, ıTreatment for thyroid disease is safe and likely to enhance patient quality of life, as well as potentially allow effective treatments for the underlying cancer to continue.ı
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