Many people think that cancer is an incurable disease, but clinically, many patients achieve “survival with tumor”, and some even exceed 30 years.
In August 2022, Pan Zhanhe, Deputy Chief Physician of Oncology Department of Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated to Xiamen University, published an article on the Wechat Official Account of Oncology Specialist and introduced that cancer is a large category of diseases. It includes many, many different types of cancer, and the same cancer has different conditions. So many different situations are mixed together to draw a certain conclusion. It is easy to be wrong or inconsistent with objective facts or unscientific. ①
cancer patients who have survived for more than 30 years,< /p>
Generally have these 3 characteristics!
Pan Zhanhe said that, from a general analysis, a patient with cancer will live for more than 30 years, and at least meet the following conditions: ①
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1. Not too old, not more than 50 years old is a more realistic premise
Why do you say that? In fact, it is very simple. If a patient is already seventy-eight years old, his life expectancy is usually not more than 30 years. That is to say, even if he does not have cancer, it is difficult to live another 30 years, and he cannot live longer because of cancer. right. Of course, it cannot be ruled out that there are indeed a few long-lived people who can live to ninety or one hundred years old, but this is a small probability.
No matter what the situation is, if a cancer patient wants to live for more than 30 years, the basic premise is that the age at the time of the cancer should not be too old. In other words, it is more realistic for people under the age of fifty or sixty to discuss whether they can live another thirty years. If they live more than thirty years, they will be eighty or ninety years old, and they are already living a long life. Of course, for people in their 50s and 60s, it is possible to discuss living for another five years, ten years, twenty years, and thirty years seems unrealistic.
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2. Cancers that are curable, including early stage cancers and a small number of advanced cancers The basic premise is that you should not be too old when you get cancer. Otherwise, let alone incurable cancer, even if it is an early-stage cancer that can be cured, if the patient is already seventy or eighty years old, it is still impossible to survive for more than 30 years.
For relatively young age, such as under fifty years of age, if it is a potentially curable condition, such as early stage cancer, or a small number of advanced cancers (such as certain lymphomas, Germ cell tumors, etc.), then of course it is possible to survive for more than 30 years or longer. For example, if a 30-year-old has cancer and it is a very early cancer, after treatment, it will not recur in the future. If cured, it is of course possible to live to 60 years old. , 70 years old or older, but this is not certain, some people may relapse, and some people may die due to other diseases or accidents even if they relapse.
3. Probability of surviving more than 30 years with incurable advanced cancer p>
For incurable advanced cancer, long-term survival with tumor is the most realistic goal to pursue, and it is also the direction of medical efforts. Just like primary hypertension, although it cannot be cured, it can be achieved through drugs. Blood pressure control and lifestyle management can help you survive the disease for a long time, without life expectancy. In fact, it is not so scary. Although primary hypertension cannot be cured, people will not talk about high blood pressure and be afraid of high blood pressure.
However, many people will take it lightly, do not take medicines on time, and do not manage their lifestyles. Look at those people who have high blood pressure. Many people do not pay attention to blood pressure. control and management, and these deaths could have been completely avoided.
Regardless of whether everyone can do it in the future, for now, although some advanced cancers can already live with tumors for a longer period of time, the overall situation is far from ideal.
The reason for long-term survival can only be said that some advanced cancer patients can survive with cancer for more than five years, or even more than ten years, through comprehensive treatment and lifestyle management. More than ten years can be regarded as very, very good, and basically there are very few people who have survived with tumors for more than 20 years, let alone more than 30 years.
Don’t panic when you find out cancer, do these three things span>
In March 2022, the American Cancer Society released the 3rd edition of the “Nutrition and Physical Activity Guidelines for Cancer Survivors” in the “CA: Journal of Cancer for Clinicians”. Modifiable factors such as physical activity, lower risk of death, and longer lifespan provide recommendations. ③
In May 2022, the American Society of Clinical Oncology published its journal “Journal of Clinical Oncology” Published Exercise, Diet, and Weight Management During Cancer Treatment: ASCO Guidelines, which provides guidance on exercise, diet, and weight management during treatment for cancer patients. ②
1. Diet: Must be rich in nutrition, eat less barbecue, marinade prepared and fried foods
The American Society of Clinical Oncology guidelines point out that the current recommendations for ketogenic diets, low carbohydrate diets, low fat diets, Whether intermittent fasting, etc. will improve the quality of life, treatment side effects and cancer prognosis, etc., the guidelines point out that there is no conclusion yet, and more research is needed to explore. Therefore, for cancer patients, it is more important to have rich and balanced nutrition. ①
According to the “Dietary Guidelines for Cancer Patients” issued by the National Health Commission in 2017, the daily diet of cancer patients should be diversified, and they should eat more protein, minerals and vitamins. eat more vegetables, fruits, cereals, potatoes, beans and soy products and other plant foods, as well as fish, poultry, eggsand other animal foods; limit refined sugar, alcohol, and grilled (fired, charcoal), pickled, and fried foods. ④
In March 2022, the American Cancer Society issued the 3rd edition of the “Nutrition and Physical Activity Guidelines for Cancer Survivors” to give dietary recommendations for cancer patients.
During cancer treatment, eat these 5 things: ③
< span>1. Don’t be afraid to eat new foods. Some foods you have never eaten or liked before may taste better and nutritious during treatment;< /p>
2. Choose as many plant foods as possible and eat less animal foods;
< p>3. Eat more fruits and vegetables every day, colorful vegetables and fruits and other plant foods, which contain many natural and health-promoting substances; span>
4. Limit or minimize pickled or smoked foods;
5. Limit or avoid red and processed meats.
After the treatment, you should pay attention to these 7 points for healthy eating: ③
1. Eat more nutrient-dense foods to help achieve and maintain a healthy weight;
2. Eat more vegetables, including dark green, red and orange vegetables, beans rich in dietary fiber, etc.; p>
3. Eat more fruits, especially whole fruits of various colors, not juice;
< p>4. Eat more whole grains and limit or reduce refined grains;
< span>5. Eat less red and processed meat;
6. Avoid sugary drinks;< /span>
7. Try not to eat ultra-processed foods.
Second, exercise: moderate exercise can alleviate the side effects of cancer treatment and reduce hospitalization time
The American Society of Clinical Oncology guidelines point out that regular aerobic and resistance exercise during cancer treatment can help alleviate the side effects of cancer treatment, improve cardiorespiratory fitness, and improve maximal absorption. Oxygen; reduce body fat percentage and fat mass, improve body composition; increase body function and muscle strength, and reduce fatigue, etc.
For some cancer patients, such as breast cancer patients, exercise can also help improve quality of life and reduce anxiety and depression. Studies have also found that exercise during cancer treatment can help improve sleep and reduce sleep disturbances; improve brain health and reduce the risk of cognitive decline.
For lung cancer patients, regular exercise before surgery can also help reduce the risk of complications such as hospital stay and postoperative pneumonia. ②
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American Cancer The 3rd edition of the “Nutrition and Physical Activity Guidelines for Cancer Survivors” issued by the association also gives 4 points of exercise advice, you can refer to : ③ p>
1. Move more and sit less, and do 150-300 minutes of moderate-intensity (you can speak, but not sing) physical activity every week, such as brisk walking, yoga, leisurely cycling, etc.;< /span>
2. Or do 75-150 minutes of high-intensity (can’t speak, or feel out of breath) physical activity per week, such as running, swimming, playing tennis, etc.;< /span>
3. Or a combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity physical activity;
4. Also, at least weekly 2 days for strength training or resistance exercise such as weightlifting, exercise bands, push-ups, squats, etc.
Three, weight: be sure to control your weight, obesity is a risk factor for more than ten types of cancer
The American Society of Clinical Oncology guidelines pointed out that many studies have confirmed that obesity is a risk factor for more than ten types of cancer, which not only increases the risk of cancer, but also increases the risk of cancer death. But the jury is still out on whether interventions that promote weight loss or avoid weight gain during cancer treatment can improve quality of life, reduce treatment side effects, and control cancer progression.
However, in breast and prostate cancer patients, studies have shown that weight loss can improve quality of life and reduce the risk of cancer recurrence. ②
The American Cancer Society recommends in the 3rd edition of the Guidelines for Nutrition and Physical Activity for Cancer Survivors that during and after cancer treatment, and physical activity to maintain a healthy weight, avoid being overweight or obese, and maintain or gain muscle.
In addition, weight gain and overweight or obesity should be prevented after treatment, so as to reduce the risk of cancer recurrence or the occurrence of second primary cancer, and improve the survival rate. ③
This article is synthesized from:
①2022 -08-06 Oncologist “Three types of people with cancer can survive for more than 30 years” (Pan Zhanhe)
②Jennifer A. Ligibel, et al.,(2022). Exercise, Diet, and Weight Management During Cancer Treatment: ASCO Guideline. Journal of Clinical Oncology, DOI: 10.1200/JCO.22.00687.
③Cheryl L. Rock, et al., (2022). American Cancer Society nutrition and physical activity guideline for cancer survivors.CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, DOI: https://doi.org/10.3322/caac.21719.
④2017-08-11 National Health Commission “Dietary Guidance for Patients with Cancer”
Editor: Lu Yang
Reviewer: Yang Xiaoming