BOOSTING cancer patients鈥� oxygen levels doesn鈥檛 just relieve the fatigue many
suffer from, it also improves their chances of survival, says Peter Harper of
Guy鈥檚 and St Thomas鈥� Hospital in London.
Several studies have shown that increasing patients鈥� haemoglobin levels by
giving them blood transfusions or blood growth factors relieves the tiredness
they feel, Harper told a symposium on oxygen and cancer in Seville, Spain, last
week. What鈥檚 more, well-oxygenated tumours respond better to treatments such as
radiation therapy.
Nearly 80 per cent of cancer patients suffer from anaemia caused by their
tumours or by certain types of chemotherapy, according to Harper. 鈥淢any
physicians don鈥檛 realise fatigue is a real problem, he says.鈥�
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