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Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences
Preservation Of Immune Function In Cervical Cancer Patients During Chemoradiation Using A Novel Integrative Approach., Susan Lutgendorf, Elizabeth Mullen-Houser, Daniel Russell, Koen De Geest, Geraldine Jacobson, Laura Hart, David Bender, Barrie Anderson, Thomas Buekers, Michael Goodheart, Michael Antoni, Anil Sood, David Lubaroff
Preservation Of Immune Function In Cervical Cancer Patients During Chemoradiation Using A Novel Integrative Approach., Susan Lutgendorf, Elizabeth Mullen-Houser, Daniel Russell, Koen De Geest, Geraldine Jacobson, Laura Hart, David Bender, Barrie Anderson, Thomas Buekers, Michael Goodheart, Michael Antoni, Anil Sood, David Lubaroff
Koen De Geest
Patients receiving chemoradiation for cervical cancer are at risk for distress, chemoradiation-related side-effects, and immunosuppression. This prospective randomized clinical trial examined effects of a complementary therapy, Healing Touch (HT), versus relaxation training (RT) and usual care (UC) for (1) supporting cellular immunity, (2) improving mood and quality of life (QOL), and (3) reducing treatment-associated toxicities and treatment delay in cervical cancer patients receiving chemoradiation. Sixty women with stages IB1 to IVA cervical cancer were randomly assigned to receive UC or 4 ×/weekly individual sessions of either HT or RT immediately following radiation during their 6-week chemoradiation treatment. Patients completed psychosocial …
Sleep Disturbance, Cytokines, And Fatigue In Women With Ovarian Cancer., Lauren Clevenger, Andrew Schrepf, Desire Christensen, Koen De Geest, David Bender, Amina Ahmed, Michael Goodheart, Frank Penedo, David Lubaroff, Anil Sood, Susan Lutgendorf
Sleep Disturbance, Cytokines, And Fatigue In Women With Ovarian Cancer., Lauren Clevenger, Andrew Schrepf, Desire Christensen, Koen De Geest, David Bender, Amina Ahmed, Michael Goodheart, Frank Penedo, David Lubaroff, Anil Sood, Susan Lutgendorf
Koen De Geest
Pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin-6 (IL-6), have been implicated in the underlying processes contributing to sleep regulation and fatigue. Despite evidence for sleep difficulties, fatigue, and elevations in IL-6 among women with ovarian cancer, the association between these symptoms and IL-6 has not been investigated. To address this knowledge gap, we examined relationships between sleep disturbance, fatigue, and plasma IL-6 in 136 women with ovarian cancer prior to surgery. These relationships were also examined in 63 of these women who were disease-free and not receiving chemotherapy one year post-diagnosis. At both time-points, higher levels of IL-6 were significantly associated with …