Cancer patients and survivors more likely to go for regular screenings and adopt a healthy
Cancer patients who participate in clinical trials as well as cancer survivors are much particular about regular screenings and following a health regime than cancer-free people, according to a new study.
The study finds that cancer survivors have been prompt in receiving flu shots and getting regular cancer screening such as pap smears, mammograms and a blood test for cervical cancer, breast cancer and prostate cancer respectively.
Dr Hiroko Kunitake at the Massachusetts General Hospital said that the diagnosis of cancer was not the exact reason that motivates them to stay healthy. Cancer survivors who participate in various clinical trials are generally motivated, organized and is much in control to deal with a complex healthcare system, she said.
This helps them to follow a doctor’s order to lead a healthy lifestyle. However, many cancer survivors still failed to go for important screenings and flu shots. “Even though patients do better than the general public, they still are not 100 per cent,” said Kunikate.
The team lead by Kunikate studied 708 people who had participated in clinical trials and survived for at least five years after getting diagnosed, along with more than 2,000 cancer free people.
It was found that two-thirds of female survivors had got a pap smear done and more than 80 percent received a mammogram within the last year. Among those in the cancer free segment, only 55 percent had gone for a pap smear and 71 percent for a mammogram.
Similarly, about 85 percent of prostate cancer survivors had received a blood test to check for prostate cancer within a year as opposed to 75 per cent cancer free men who appeared for a blood test for prostate cancer.