Comments on: Be a Cancer Myth Buster http://www.oncolink.org/blogs/index.php/2009/09/be-a-cancer-myth-buster/ Blogs from OncoLink Cancer Resources Wed, 01 Feb 2012 22:42:41 +0000 hourly 1 By: Carolyn Vachani, MSN, RN, AOCN http://www.oncolink.org/blogs/index.php/2009/09/be-a-cancer-myth-buster/comment-page-1/#comment-13 Carolyn Vachani, MSN, RN, AOCN Mon, 28 Sep 2009 18:54:28 +0000 http://www.oncolink.org/blogs/?p=72#comment-13 Thanks for your comment! I do not think H1N1 should be a consideration when deciding what therapy to receive- no more than the regular seasonal flu would be. Other factors are much more important, such as size, pathology factors, Oncotype Dx scores and history, among others- these things should dictate treatment choices, not fear of the flu. However, all people receiving cancer therapy (or about to start) should be vaccinated against both the seasonal flu and H1N1. They should also have other members of their household get vaccinated. In light of your comment, I did a new blog post today on this topic- see that for more information. Hopefully it will clear up some of the myths! Thanks for your comment! I do not think H1N1 should be a consideration when deciding what therapy to receive- no more than the regular seasonal flu would be. Other factors are much more important, such as size, pathology factors, Oncotype Dx scores and history, among others- these things should dictate treatment choices, not fear of the flu.
However, all people receiving cancer therapy (or about to start) should be vaccinated against both the seasonal flu and H1N1. They should also have other members of their household get vaccinated. In light of your comment, I did a new blog post today on this topic- see that for more information. Hopefully it will clear up some of the myths!

]]> By: LMF http://www.oncolink.org/blogs/index.php/2009/09/be-a-cancer-myth-buster/comment-page-1/#comment-12 LMF Mon, 28 Sep 2009 02:47:33 +0000 http://www.oncolink.org/blogs/?p=72#comment-12 Hello Carolyn, I don't ask you to run this entire note. I've read other articles here in the past that you have done. I think there is a time-sensitive need for someone like you, who be as informative as possible in building a bridge of truth (to AVOID myth creation) between providers and patients about the risks for patients undergoing chemotherapy and radiation, and the novel 2009 H1N1 pandemic. I don't want you to be a target or "caught in the middle", but somebody needs to start communicating. Should early stage breast cancer patients (the majority of whom are at low risk for recurrence of breast cancer if they do only surgery and perhaps radiation and possibly hormonal treatment, but who will be considered to be one of the group with "an underlying medical problem" if they do immunosuppressive treatment), be counseled about the risk of dying from the novel H1N1 2009 pandemic flu if they are considering chemotherapy? Especially early stage breast cancer patients who are borderline for doing chemotherapy, as well as those hormone receptor positive patients who would not have an underlying medical problem and would be at low risk for dying from the novel H1N1 2009 pandemic flu if they were to choose ovarian ablation and hormonal treatment instead of chemotherapy? when their risks are being calculated for treatment and discussion with them, is that risk included in the statistical number they are given? Thank you. Hello Carolyn,

I don’t ask you to run this entire note. I’ve read other articles here in the past that you have done. I think there is a time-sensitive need for someone like you, who be as informative as possible in building a bridge of truth (to AVOID myth creation) between providers and patients about the risks for patients undergoing chemotherapy and radiation, and the novel 2009 H1N1 pandemic. I don’t want you to be a target or “caught in the middle”, but somebody needs to start communicating.

Should early stage breast cancer patients (the majority of whom are at low risk for recurrence of breast cancer if they do only surgery and perhaps radiation and possibly hormonal treatment, but who will be considered to be one of the group with “an underlying medical problem” if they do immunosuppressive treatment), be counseled about the risk of dying from the novel H1N1 2009 pandemic flu if they are considering chemotherapy? Especially early stage breast cancer patients who are borderline for doing chemotherapy, as well as those hormone receptor positive patients who would not have an underlying medical problem and would be at low risk for dying from the novel H1N1 2009 pandemic flu if they were to choose ovarian ablation and hormonal treatment instead of chemotherapy? when their risks are being calculated for treatment and discussion with them, is that risk included in the statistical number they are given?

Thank you.

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