Blowing air from a fan directly at an advanced cancer patient experiencing breathlessness may provide symptom relief, according to a study published in JAMA Oncology.
“Breathlessness, or dyspnea, is a common and distressing symptom in patients with advanced cancer,” says lead author of the JAMA Oncology article, Arjun Gupta, M.D., chief medical oncology fellow at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center via a press release. “Breathlessness can be associated with and made worse by accompanying anxiety, and can severely impact quality of life and exercise capacity. In patients with advanced cancer, treating the underlying cause of breathlessness (such as the cancer itself) may provide incomplete symptom relief or may not be feasible. In these scenarios, treating the symptom of breathlessness may be indicated. However, patients in this situation are often vulnerable with limited time to recover, and a question that comes up…
