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Stephanie Reid-Arndt
hopes that her research findings will improve the quality
of life of breast cancer survivors.
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Rearchers
Hope to Improve
Lives of Cancer Survivors
By Cheri Ghan
New information from the nation’s top
cancer organizations says Americans’ risk of getting cancer
is dropping and, if they do get the disease, their chances of
survival continue to improve. Now, University of Missouri-Columbia
researchers, funded by the National
Institutes of Health, hope to determine how to improve the
quality of life for those cancer survivors.
Stephanie Reid-Arndt, professor of health
psychology, will study breast cancer survivors to determine
how they fare in the workforce, in their families and the community.
Researchers also will assess the effect chemotherapy might have
on cognitive abilities as well as the impact environmental factors
have on quality of life. Rural residents, who might not have as
many treatment options available as urban dwellers, also will
be studied to determine how cancer has affected their lives.
Reid-Arndt says getting a prognosis is one
thing, but as they are living longer, patients need to know what
their life is going to be like after breast cancer.
“They may have greater expectations
of what their life should be like and some subtle differences,
perhaps caused by treatment, may be a concern for them,”
Reid-Arndt said. “Health care providers need a more holistic
view of breast cancer survivors, and part of that is looking at
how their overall quality of life and their ability to function
effectively at home and at work are impacted by cancer.”
Reid-Arndt says changes in cognitive function
will be an important part of the study.
“We have heard reports of what
patients call ‘chemo brain,’ where cognitive function
is not up to previous levels,” Reid-Arndt said. “We’re
going to look at cognitive function before and what the effect
of treatment might be. Having an understanding of what they might
experience can be helpful to patients as well.”
Reid-Arndt says the study will run through
August 2005 and will study patients one, six and 12 months after
being treated for cancer.
“Medically, breast cancer survivors
are doing better and better,” Reid-Arndt said. “However,
are there areas we need to pay more attention to where they could
use more assistance? If we can point out areas of need, then our
hope is we might be able to translate that into public policy
changes to help these patients.”
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Last Update:
September 3, 2008
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