"Cancer Fatigue"
Anaemia is a common side effect of chemotherapy and often causes severe fatigue, leaving sufferers feeling excessively tired and unable to complete everyday tasks. Fatigue is a major problem for cancer patients - affecting around 80 per cent of those receiving chemotherapy.
Now in the British Journal of Cancer (vol 87; 12) researchers reveal that a treatment that tackles anaemia in cancer patients can help boost their energy levels and significantly improve their quality of life.
In the new patient trial, researchers found that regular injections of a drug called epoetin alfa - used to treat anaemia - can help patients overcome their exhaustion. The test was based on 375 people.
icon has reported that scientists in Milan had studied 50 people with fatigue and that this was due to low levels of carnitine in the blood stream. After just one week of supplement, 95% of patients reported full recovery.