Dexamethasone could help some cancer patients survive longer, suggests new study

A new study conducted by a team of researchers has presented their findings at the ANESTHESIOLOGY 2021 annual meeting, and it suggested that Dexamethasone, a widely prescribed anti-nausea drug could help some cancer patients to survive more after surgery. 

Dexamethasone could help cancer patients

According to the study report, Dexamethasone, if given during surgery could help patients to live more after the procedure. The study report claimed that cancer patients who have received Dexamethasone could live more than those who have not received the anti-nausea drug. 

It should be noted that Dexamethasone is given to patients to prevent nausea and vomiting after surgery and chemotherapy. 

"Dexamethasone has positive and negative effects -- it inhibits cancer growth, but also suppresses the immune system," said Maximilian Schaefer, a researcher at the Harvard Medical School, Boston. 

Dexamethasone and different forms of cancer

According to the study report, dexamethasone can improve mid-to-long-term outcomes in patients with non-immunogenic cancers, which include, sarcoma and cancers of the breast, uterus, ovary, esophagus, pancreas, thyroid, bones, and joints. 

The study team made this conclusion after analyzing records of 74,058 patients who had surgeries to remove non-immunogenic cancerous tumors between 2005 and 2020 at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and between 2007 and 2015 at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston. Of them, 34 percent had received Dexamethasone during surgery. After three months, 0.83 percent of the patients who received Dexamethasone died, while 3.2 percent of the people who did not receive the anti-nausea drug took their last breath during the same time period. 

The research team also noted that young patients who receive Dexamethasone are 21 percent more likely to live when compared to their counterparts who were not given the anti-nausea drug.