newly diagnosed
Proactively understanding and managing aspects of treatment achieve the best possible outcome from treatment. This approach also helps the patient to regain some form of control in their life.
Fighting cancer is not a challenge to be faced alone. It is a team effort that involves family, friends, and the healthcare team. The strength that can come from having a support network should not be underestimated.
Things to optimize treatment of cancer are:
Get informed: Using resources that include your healthcare team, second opinions, books, the Internet, and other cancer patients will help to identify the specific questions to ask the doctor.
Following a diagnosis of cancer, the most important step is to accurately define the stage of the disease. Staging is a system that describes how far the cancer has spread. Understanding the diagnosis and stage of disease, goals of therapy, treatment plan, benefits of treatment, and possible side effects are all important components of staying informed, which will also help to reduce anxiety..
Stay organized: Develop a system for keeping all the information that you gather organized, such as laboratory and test results, admissions and consultation information, and additional instructions. Keep a folder or three-ring binder with all your information in one location.
Discussing the effectiveness of treatment: It is important that you and your caregivers are able to evaluate treatment options and to understand how cancer treatments are compared so that you can work with your healthcare team to make informed treatment choices.
Patients typically receive cancer treatment in order to cure the cancer, prolong the duration of their life or alleviate symptoms caused by the cancer and improve their quality of life. Potential benefits of treatment must be balanced against the risks of treatment. Some risks posed by various cancer treatments may include time away from family and friends, uncomfortable side effects of therapy and/or long-term complications or death.
Remission is a term heard frequently. It refers to the response of a cancer to the treatment. It does not mean that a cancer is cured. Complete remission refers to the situation where the disease disappears completely with treatment. Partial remission refers to the situation where the disease shrinks but does not disappear completely with treatment. Cure means complete freedom from the cancer. To render someone cured of cancer, one has to wait and see if the cancer will ever come back. So, time is the crucial factor. If a patient remains in remission for a few years, the cancer might be cured. Certain cancers can reoccur after many years of remission.
Treatment of cancer is associated with risks. It is important that you evaluate the risks and benefits of treatment within the context of the overall goal of receiving cancer therapy.
