CAN A CERVICAL CANCER PATIENT BE OPERATED AT 75 YEARS?
My mother is seventy five years old and diagnosed with early stage of cervical cancer. The doctor recommended her for operation but we (family members) are skeptical. Can she withstand a major surgery at that age? Please advise us what do we do?
Madam Tinuke, Ilorin
Let me state clearly that the best person to recommend the appropriate treatment is the expert who not only made the diagnosis but has the benefit of physical assessment of the patient.
For early stage cervical cancer, the treatment options available are surgical and radiotherapy. Either method has good prognosis. The choice of treatment depend on several factors, though experts oncology surgeons are readily available than radiotherapy centers in Nigeria. Where financial constraints and distance to nearest radiotherapy centre is far then surgery might be preferable especially for early cancer. Another favored is the state of health of the patient. Can the patient condition withstand radical hysterectomy needed in early stage cervical cancer? Concerning Your mum, who is seventy five years old, sometimes a person of that age may be in better state of health than a fifty-five-year old. So if the doctor who assessed is a Gynaecologist, and feels she can withstand the operation then let him go ahead.
In case you are still not comfortable you may ask for referral to a centre that can offer radiotherapy. There are teaching hospitals with good radiotherapy centre in the southwest and middle belt region which are not too far from Ilorin. What I will not advise is for you to just take her home because if it becomes an advanced stage of cervical cancer the effects could be unbearable and then difficult to manage.
The family planning pills - combine oral contraceptive pills (COCP) is not only used for family planning but also for conditions like excessive menstrual period and dysfunctional uterine bleeding (DUB). Since the menses is normal now you can stop it. But if you are still using it as a form of contraception you may continue the medication.
Let me use this opportunity to implore Nigerians who don’t always go for follow up. It’s most likely if you had gone for follow up clinic the doctor might have asked you to stop it. The culture of getting better and not going for follow up could be detrimental. I am twenty five years old and have been on drugs for asthma for the past eight years. In the last three months I have had several attacks and now I am been treated for pneumonia. What can I do to reduce this frequent attacks? Is there no cure for asthma?
Abuja Roseline,
Asthma is a chronic lung disease resulting from inflammation of the airways that makes breathing difficult. It affects all age groups both female and male. It is allergic and usually starts from childhood. It affects millions of people worldwide and causes death in thousands of people annually. Unfortunately asthma has no cure but it can be managed effectively.
Predisposing factors include: airborne substances like dust and smoke, infections like common cold, cold air which explains the increase of incidences you have been having in the last three months. Other factors include emotional stress, drugs like aspirin and beta blockers. There is genetic factors that is it may run in family.
Symptoms and signs includes difficulty in breathing, wheezing, cough, breathlessness and chest tightness. Early recognition of symptoms and treatment helps to prevent severe asthma which can be catastrophic if not promptly and well managed.
My advice is to avoid the avoidable risk factors like dust smoke or other identifiable risk factors. Also the use of inhaler at onset of symptoms early enough, treatment of infections early enough.
You should avoid over exposure to cold and regular attendance of respiratory clinics. Do not wait until asthma attack before going to hospital. Cooperate with your doctor in preventive steps. Do not be afraid. Though asthma is not curable but it is manageable. Some with proper steps has avoided attacks for years. Though it starts in childhood, they do live to old age.