Improving the Outlook for Ovarian Cancer Patients
from BestHealth, February 2005
Today, even patients with recurrent ovarian cancer can live longer and with good quality of life when treated with aggressive surgery and chemotherapy. The 5-year-survival rate for this relatively rare cancer has increased to 40 percent.
Among those patients successfully fighting the disease at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center is Dr. Mary Ann Taylor, a retired general medicine physician who spent decades treating Wake Forest University students at the student health service.
Taylor was diagnosed with cancer of the fallopian tube (very similar to ovarian cancer and treated the same way) in early 2001. Following a complete hysterectomy, she underwent chemotherapy treatment using a combination of two drugs. Subsequent CT scans were negative and she felt well enough to travel to central Europe that autumn.
Recurrences in 2003 and 2004— treated with chemotherapy—haven’t kept Taylor from enjoying life and traveling. She visited Ireland this past spring.
“I’m undergoing treatment and have done very well,” said Taylor. “Dr. Brigitte Miller and the oncology nurses have been very responsive and supportive. The new outpatient cancer center is a comfortable, comforting place filled with caregivers who are committed to what they do.”
There is still much to learn about the challenges that women with ovarian cancer face and improving quality of life. When tumors are sensitive to chemotherapy, remissions can be expected for quite a few years. Patients must return for continuous therapy similar to patients with diabetes or other chronic diseases.
Yoga and Ovarian Cancer
Can yoga help ovarian cancer patients? Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center researchers are studying restorative yoga’s effects, monitoring its impact on emotional function, health-related quality of life, and treatment-related symptoms in women with ovarian cancer.
Restorative yoga, described as active relaxation, involves gentle poses that emphasize breathing and relaxation. Poses can be practiced when a patient feels weak, fatigued or ill.
Restorative yoga may:
• increase flexibility and range of motion
• strengthen muscles
• reduce stress and create deep relaxation
• improve overall sense of health and well-being
• decrease some treatment-related symptoms
• enhance ability for self-care and sense of control in the midst of treatment.
Study participants attend yoga classes once a week for 10 weeks. To learn more about the study, call 336-716-2394.