Dexamethasone: This Anti-Nausea Drug Can Help Cancer Patients Survive

Do you have breast cancer or pancreatic cancer? Chemotherapy isn’t the sole option for dealing with the condition’s drawbacks. According to a new study, individuals battling breast, pancreatic, and other kinds of cancer may live longer if they are given an anti-nausea medication called Dexamethasone during surgery.

CARDIFF, UNITED KINGDOM – JUNE 16: In this photo illustration, a close-up of a box of Dexamethasone tablets in a pharmacy on June 16, 2020 in Cardiff, United Kingdom. Results of a trial announced today have shown that Dexamethasone, a cheap and widely used steroid drug which is used to reduce inflammation, reduced death rates by around a third in the most severely ill COVID-19 patients who were admitted to hospital. Researches have predicted 5,000 lives could have been saved had the drug been used to treat patients in the UK at the start of the pandemic.(Photo by Matthew Horwood/Getty Images)

Dexamethasone: Is This A Miraculous Drug For Cancer Patients?

The research findings, which experts presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY 2021 annual conference, indicated that patients with these cancer types who took dexamethasone died three months following surgery, compared to those who did not.

The experts from Harvard Medical School in Boston stated per Hindustan Times about the significance of the drug: “Dexamethasone has positive and negative effects — it inhibits cancer growth but also suppresses the immune system.”

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Use of Dexamethasone Drug

Technology Networks said that this miracle medication is often given to patients to reduce nausea and vomiting after surgery and while undergoing chemotherapy. Dexamethasone may enhance mid-to-long-term outcomes in patients with non-immunogenic malignancies, according to the study’s findings. Sarcoma and malignancies of the breast, uterus, ovary, esophagus, pancreas, thyroid, bones, and joints are examples of non-immunogenic tumors that do not elicit a significant immune response.

According to the report, the study looked at the data of 74,058 individuals who underwent operations to remove non-immunogenic malignant tumors between 2005 and 2020. Overall, 25,178 (34% of patients) got dexamethasone during surgery, according to the research findings. After 90 days, 209 (0.83%) of dexamethasone-treated patients died, compared to 1,543 (3.2%) of patients who did not get the medication. According to one researcher, “our study clearly indicates that dexamethasone was especially helpful for individuals with malignancies of the ovary, uterus, or cervix.”

General Signs And Symptoms of Cancer

As experts always advise, the first step is to recognize the symptoms to begin therapy. Cancer.org shared some of the most frequent cancer signs and symptoms that people should never ignore.

• Excessive weariness or fatigue;
• Unexplained weight loss or gain;
• Appetite loss; and
• Swelling or lumps appearing in any region of the body

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