Fight against theSide Effects of Cancer Treatment

Once the harddecisions have been made about how to treat a patient's cancer,doctors face aneven more difficult question.how do you help patients deal with the sideeffects

of treatment?

The issue is achallenge for physicians because,unlike with cancer therapies,there are fewscientific studies on the most effective ways to handle the side effects一including

common symptoms suchas poor sleep or fatigue. But addressing these seemingly common complications（并发症）is crucial for helping patientsmaintain their regular

lifestyle,which inturn may even encourage the success of their cancer treatment.

That's why Dr. KarenMustian of the University of Rochester Medical Center decided to put a favoritepractice of cancer survivors一yoga一to the test.In a paper she will

present at theAmerican Society of Clinical Oncology (肿瘤学）(ASCO) annual meeting in June, Mustian designed a standardizedprogram based on hatha yoga一a slow-

moving form of thediscipline一and tested itseffect on improving the quality of life for cancer survivors.

Called YOCAS,thefour-week program involved sessions of hatha yoga twice a week for 75 minuteseach,in combination with breathing exercises and meditation（冥

想）.Among the410 participants,who were divided into yoga and traditional follow一up care groups,those practicing yoga recorded nearly double theimprovement in sleep

quality and reductionof fatigue compared to those not practicing yoga. They also reported betterquality of life overall,Mustian says.

For cancerphysicians,the findings will be a welcome addition to their discussions withpatients."Many patients ask about complementary (互补的)therapies, whether they are

exercise ormeditation or yoga," says Dr. Douglas Blayney,medical director of thecomprehensive cancer center at University of Michigan and presidentof ASCO."I often

don't know what totell them because there isn't lot of science on these complementary therapies.Here is a scientific study showing benefit,so at least we can have some

assurance in tellingwomen that there is a yoga program,here are its characteristics and it has beenshown to have beneficial effects on sleep and quality of life."Why is itsignificant to help patients deal with the side effects of the cancertreatment?

A.Because it is themost effective way to cure cancer.

B.Because it couldshorten the time of the treatment.

C.Because it enablesthem to do exercise regularly.

D.Because itincreases the possibility of their complete recovery.