Hot flashes and cancer
Hot flashes, also known as hot flushes, are intense episodes of warmth that can lead to heavy sweating and discomfort, commonly associated with menopause and certain medical conditions, including cancer. They are primarily caused by hormonal changes, particularly fluctuations in estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone levels, which may occur due to menopause, hysterectomy, or cancer treatments. Notably, hot flashes can affect around 80% of women during menopause and 70-80% of prostate cancer patients undergoing hormone therapies.
Various factors can exacerbate hot flashes, such as diet, stress, and certain medications, including chemotherapy and hormone therapies. Symptoms typically manifest as a quick tingling sensation followed by intense heat, lasting from one to twelve minutes. Managing hot flashes may involve hormone replacement therapy, lifestyle changes like a healthy diet and exercise, or medications such as antidepressants and beta-blockers.
While hot flashes can significantly impact quality of life, proactive measures such as maintaining a balanced diet, engaging in regular physical activity, and practicing relaxation techniques can help mitigate their occurrence and severity, promoting overall well-being. Understanding the underlying causes and management options is crucial for those affected by hot flashes, particularly in the context of cancer and its treatments.
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Subject Terms
Hot flashes and cancer
ALSO KNOWN AS: Hot flushes
RELATED CONDITIONS: Premenopause, perimenopause, menopause, postmenopause, hysterectomy, oophorectomy
DEFINITION: A hot flash is an intense feeling of warmth that floods the body, causing extreme perspiration.
Risk factors: The primary reasons for hot flashes are menopause, hysterectomy, oophorectomy, and treatment for reproductive cancers. Some diseases that can cause hot flashes include cancer of the ovaries, pituitary gland, uterus, and thyroid. Chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and cancer treatment medications and surgical procedures can also cause hot flashes. The intensity, duration, and likelihood of hot flashes rise with increased consumption of sugar or caffeine, obesity, vitamin or mineral deficiencies, unhealthful diet, thyroid disorders, emotionally embarrassing or stressful situations, being overdressed in a warm environment, and the consumption of foods or liquids containing nitrates. Eating snacks, drinking alcohol, and not voiding a full bladder before bedtime can create intense night sweats. Wearing makeup can block pores, causing the face to retain heat and increasing thermal intensity. Prescriptions, over-the-counter medications, illegal drugs, and herbal remedies may increase hot flashes or night sweats.
Etiology and the disease process: Hot flashes tend to occur when ovaries malfunction, become diseased, die, or are surgically removed. They often occur when the levels of estrogen, progesterone, or testosterone fluctuate greatly. The follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) secreted by the pituitary gland may also cause dilation of blood vessels, triggering hot flashes or night sweats.
Incidence: Approximately 80 percent of women who pass through menopause experience hot flashes or night sweats, as reported by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) in 2019. Also, according to NCBI, in 2024, between 70 and 80 percent of prostate cancer patients undergoing hormone treatments experience hot flashes. These were most commonly seen as side effects from androgen deprivation therapy. Women who have had hysterectomy and/or oophorectomy typically experience early onset of menopause as a result of their surgery, and thus often experience hot flashes.
Symptoms: A hot flash manifests as a quick, tingling sensation, followed by a rush of intense heat, and immediately followed by profuse sweating. It typically lasts one to twelve minutes.
Screening and diagnosis: Hot flashes and night sweats are typically addressed when patients complain of these symptoms during a medical exam. Physicians will ask questions to verify what their patients are experiencing. An FSH test may be taken to confirm or indicate menopausal status.
Treatment and therapy: Hot flashes may be decreased by hormone replacement therapy (HRT), a combination of estrogen, progesterone, or testosterone; bio-identical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT); androgens, antidepressants, the anticonvulsant medication gabapentin, and beta-blockers; herbal remedies; and vitamin and mineral supplements. However, the risks and side effects of these treatments must be carefully considered before and during their use; for example, HRT is often contraindicated for those who have or have had breast cancer. Treatments should also include eating healthfully, exercising, and getting adequate rest.
Prognosis, prevention, and outcomes: By following a healthy diet, exercising, wearing loose layered clothing, lowering room temperatures, practicing relaxation, and taking medication if necessary, hot flashes and night sweats can be decreased significantly.
Bibliography
Bansal, Ramandeep, and Neelam Aggarwal. "Menopausal Hot Flashes: A Concise Review." Journal of Mid-Life Health, vol. 10, no. 1, 2019, pp. 6-13, doi.org/10.4103/jmh.JMH‗7‗19. Accessed 13 June 2024.
Boston Women's Health Book Collective. Our Bodies, Ourselves: Menopause. New York: Simon, 2006.
“Hot Flashes - StatPearls.” NCBI, 19 Dec. 2022, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK539827. Accessed 13 June 2024.
“Hot Flashes - Symptoms & Causes.” Mayo Clinic, 12 Dec. 2023, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hot-flashes/symptoms-causes/syc-20352790. Accessed 13 June 2024.
Hurd, William W., and Tommaso Falcone. Clinical Reproductive Medicine and Surgery: A Practical Guide. New York: Springer, 2013.
Patient Education Fact Sheet: Hormone Therapy. Amer. Coll. of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Apr. 2013.
Rogers, Graham. “Male Menopause: Overview, Symptoms, and Treatment.” Healthline, 13 Apr. 2023, www.healthline.com/health/menopause/male. Accessed 13 June 2024.
Shah, Sarthak, et al. "Bothersome Hot Flashes Following Neoadjuvant Androgen Deprivation Therapy and Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy for Localized Prostate Cancer." Cureus, vol. 16, no. 3, 2024, doi.org/10.7759/cureus.55729. Accessed 13 June 2024.