Andrew Putnam
Caring.com Expert
- About
Andrew Putnam, M.D. is the director of the Palliative Care Program at Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center and Georgetown University.
Recently Published on Caring.com
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Thursday November 19, 2009
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Can other cancers develop during chemo?
Answer - Sadly new cancer can develop during chemo if the chemo is not as effective as we wish. There are several things the irregularity in your lung could be, but it is possible that the breast cancer has spread to a new place. The irregularity could also be a different cancer or something that is not cancer at all...
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Thursday May 14, 2009
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Can chemotherapy relieve pain?
Answer - For many situations where cancer causes pain, if chemotherapy or radiation can help to shrink the cancer, the pain will be reduced. It is important to ask her oncologist the likelihood of shrinking the tumor with a particular treatment and compare it with the likelihood of severe side effects. But chemotherapy can reduce pain if it shrinks the cancer... -
What is stage 4 breast cancer life expectancy?
Answer - Although we have no crystal ball, it is quite clear that your mother's condition is quite grave. Even without brain mets, liver mets and widespread bone mets make a short life-span likely. Average life expectancy for someone in your mother's condition could be 1 to 2 months...
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Tuesday April 14, 2009
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What's the relationship between brain cancer and seizures? Do seizures mean brain cancer?
Answer - One possible cause of seizures is cancer in the brain, either a primary brain cancer or cancer from another part of the bady that has metastasized to the brain. It is important to tell your doctor if you have a seizure.
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Friday April 10, 2009
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How long does chemotherapy stay in your system?
Answer - While the effects of chemotherapy can take place over a longer period of time (maybe weeks), the actual chemicals that are chemotherapy are generally out of the person's system within 24 hours. This assumes that the person's kidneys and liver are able to process the chemotherapy within a normal period...
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Thursday April 09, 2009
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How necessary is it to treat cancer?
Answer - Refusing cancer treatment is tricky. It depends on the type of cancer and how aggressive the cancer is as well as what, if any, treatment options exist as to whether it is a good idea to refuse treatment. -
Can breast cancer start in another part of the body?
Answer - The question is what is the primary site of any cancer. In order to be truly what we call "breast cancer" the origin or primary site of the cancer must be in the breast. Cancer that comes from another primary site and is found in the breast is not called breast cancer. It would be called ________ cancer that has metastasized to the breast... -
Should I continue my cancer treatment?
Answer - Given the information that I have, I would say that for long term cancer treatment, the main reason for continuing, without cure as an option, is exactly prolongation of life. That is up to you if your oncologist is offering further treatment...
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Monday February 02, 2009
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Can my mom continue to get transfusions 4 to 5 times a week to help with low platelets? Her platelets are between 4 and 5,000.
Answer - Transfusion benefits last only a few days and transfusions may not be advisable for a patient with complications.
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Thursday January 15, 2009
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During chemo, some taxol went directly under my skin on the back of my hand. Can anything be done for the pain?
Answer - When the needle slips during chemo and the drug goes under the skin it can be painful, but not dangerous. -
Could this be a reocurrence of the cancer?
Answer - There are many signs of recurrence and this is a situation in which it's important to call the doctor and have an evaluation. -
Can one stop chemo and radiation cold turkey before their prescribed treatment dose is over?
Answer - Glioblastoma multiforme is an aggressive brain tumor that will progress without treatment. -
How do I get my father physical therapy?
Answer - Social workers can help you access physical therapy and other services for cancer patients.
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Friday October 24, 2008
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What has caused the pain in my feet after cancer treatment?
Answer - After radiation therapy for prostate cancer, it's possible to have nerve damage in the feet, though this is more commonly a result of chemotherapy.
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Thursday October 23, 2008
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My mom had an in-situ mass removed and we're reluctant for her to do radiation therapy. Thoughts?
Answer - The author's 87-year-old mother had a tumor removed and children would prefer she not have radiation following surgery to preserve her energy and quality of life.
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Monday October 06, 2008
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Can my husband with stage 2 testicular cancer safely drink alcohol after chemotherapy?
Answer - Drinking alcohol during cancer treatment is a matter to discuss with your husband's oncologist.
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Monday September 22, 2008
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my husband is 53 and has kidney and iliac wing and pelvic...
Answer - When a patient has metastatic cancer and doesn't wish to be hospitalized, you need to be well prepared to deal with pain and other side effects with adequate home health care.
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Thursday August 21, 2008
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Does colon cancer cause back pain? Will homeopathic remedies help?
Answer - Colon cancer, and all digestive cancers, can cause stomach and intestinal pain, as can treatments such as surgery and chemotherapy.
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Wednesday August 20, 2008
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Can my mom continue to get transfusions 4 to 5 times a week to help with low platelets? Her platelets are between 4 and 5,000.
Answer - Transfusion benefits last only a few days and transfusions may not be advisable for a patient with complications.
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Thursday May 15, 2008
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Doctor recommends quitting chemo. Is this common?
Answer - When the doctor suggests not finishing chemotherapy, you need to ask why.
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Wednesday March 19, 2008
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Is it bad to mix chemo and alcohol?
Answer - The two main dangers of drinking alcohol (assuming you're talking about small amounts of social drinking and not severe intoxication) are the sedative effects and the effects on the liver.1) Many medications can cause sedation including, among others, pain medications, anti-anxiety meds, anti-nausea... -
What questions should you ask doctor about what is going to happen if mother stops chemo?
Answer - There are two considerations here. The first is what questions to ask in front of your mother and the other is what questions to ask without her present. These may vary a little depending on how strong and inquisitive your mother is. In front of the mother I would recommend: -
My husband is experiencing severe nasal drip due to chemo. Any suggestions?
Answer - Yes, Taxotere is one drug that comes to mind that can cause severe nasal drip as you describe. There may not be a great deal that can be done. Two possibilities to try would be a nasal antihistamine or a nasal steroid that you spray in the nose. Either of these might reduce the amount of drip. -
Can You Get Chemo With a Low White Blood Cell Count?
Answer - It is important to remember that chemotherapy's main goal is to kill cancer cells, but chemo drugs also kill off some healthy cells also (hair follicles, the cells lining the intestines, etc.) In order to be eligible for chemotherapy, you need to be healthy enough to survive the drug...
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Tuesday March 18, 2008
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What can we do for kidney pain during chemo and radiation?
Answer - Cancer treatment and some types of cancer can cause kidney pain and difficulty urinating: How to help. -
Is mixing alcohol and chemo unsafe?
Answer - Drinking heavily during chemotherapy for cancer can be bad for the liver and interfere with treatment.
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Thursday February 07, 2008
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Is bone pain from Neulasta common? If so, how can bone pain be prevented or treated?
Answer - Neulasta is an effective medication to help shorten, but not prevent, post-chemotherapy neutropenia (low white blood cell count). Unfortunately, one common side effect is severe bone pain. It's a growth factor, which means it works by revving up the bone marrow to produce more white blood cells...
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Monday November 19, 2007
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Can I give my father a diuretic to help with the swelling in his feet caused by liver cancer?
Answer - You can always ask your doctor for a diuretic and see if it works. There's no serious danger, but it may not do your father much good, and there are some potential side effects. Diuretics work well for most kinds of fluid retention because they cause the kidneys to excrete more fluid... -
Why doesn't my mother's doctor want to perform a red blood cell transfusion, just because she's never had one before?
Answer - When your mother’s red blood count (RBC) is low, her doctors may start considering a transfusion if her anemia is causing symptoms such as extreme fatigue and shortness of breath. Unlike a platelet transfusion, a transfusion of red blood cells can have both immediate and long-lasting benefits, since the average red blood cell lives 120 days...
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Tuesday November 13, 2007
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Why won't the doctor order a blood transfusion to boost low platelets?
Answer - Most doctors only give platelet transfusions in cases where the patient is actively bleeding and the blood won't clot. The reason is that this treatment is of limited benefit and only lasts a very short time. The problem has to do with the life of the cells... -
Can ovarian cancer cause swelling feet and legs?
Answer - In the case of certain cancers, particularly ovarian and colon cancers, an abdominal tumor may get big enough to press on the main veins that bring fluid back to the heart from the legs. The weight of the tumor causes the veins to narrow, so it takes more pressure to push the fluid through the veins in order to return it to the heart... -
Why do we need to donate blood for a transfusion for my father, whose blood type is O-negative?
Answer - The O-negative blood type is referred to as the "universal donor," because people of all blood types can receive O-negative blood. This means it's much in demand--but it's not a very common blood type.
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