Breast Cancer and Radiation Therapy

Breast Cancer and Radiation Therapy

When breast cancer is treated with radiation, the body is assaulted twice: once by the disease and once by the therapy.

A new study shows how women fighting breast cancer can easily and safely alleviate some of the harshest effects of radiation therapy.

Walking the walk

Red blood cells deliver oxygen from the lungs to tissues throughout the body. Anemia occurs when the red blood cell count becomes depleted, resulting in fatigue, weakness, and hair loss in extreme cases. The two primary causes of anemia are: 1) iron deficiency (often triggered by menstruation or internal bleeding), and 2) deficiency of two key vitamins: folate and vitamin B-12. Radiation therapy also causes anemia.

In an upcoming issue of the journal Cancer, researchers at the University of Michigan report on a study in which 20 women receiving radiation for breast cancer participated in an exercise intervention study.

STUDY ABSTRACT

• Half the women were randomly assigned to a group that took aerobic exercise three to five days each week by walking for 20 to 45 minutes
• The other women participated in stretching exercises three to five days each week
• Blood was drawn from each subject before and after the seven-week study period
• Results showed that peak aerobic capacity (measured with oxygen uptake analysis) increased by more than six percent in the walking group, but decreased by more than four percent in the stretching group
• Red blood cell count increased significantly in the walking group, but decreased in the stretching group
• Hemoglobin (a red blood cell protein that helps transfer oxygen from the lungs to the body) increased significantly in the walking group, but decreased in the stretching group
• Researchers noted that the walking exercise in this study was only of moderate intensity, but still provided a “safe, economical method” to improve fitness and maintain healthy red blood cell status.

Blood work

Anemia is often referred to as “iron poor blood.” But care should be taken when treating anemia with iron supplements.

In previous e-Alerts, HSI Panelist Allan Spreen, M.D., has cautioned that supplemental iron may create problems in high doses. Dr. Spreen: “The RDA of iron is far too high. Plus, even if you were proven to have anemia I wouldn’t treat it with inorganic iron. The mineral is too reactive in the body when it is not insulated from the system by being encased within the heme structure of hemoglobin. Free radical formation from free iron is just too much of a threat.”

Dietary sources of heme iron come exclusively from red meat, fish, pork, and poultry, with beef liver and chicken liver having the highest amounts of iron. An additional intake of vitamin C can also help the body absorb iron.

Supplements of folic acid and vitamin B-12 may also help address anemia. The recommended daily allowance (RDA) for folate is 400 micrograms, but Dr. Spreen recommends folic acid supplementation of 1,600 mcg per day, noting, “folate isn’t effective in low doses except in a limited percentage of cases.”

Along with folate, Dr. Spreen recommends 1,000 mcg of B-12 per day in sublingual form (dissolved under the tongue). And (as mentioned in yesterday’s e-Alert about folate intake for moms-to-be), Dr. Spreen also suggests that to get the most out of folic acid, add 100 mg per day of B-6, as well as 400-500 mg of magnesium per day to make the B-6 more effective.

Talk with your doctor or a health care professional before including these supplements in your daily regimen.