MAY napakalaking epekto ang cancer sa kalusugan ng pag-iisip at pangangatawan ng tao, ayon sa ulat ng mga researcher sa ESMO Asia 2016 Congress sa Singapore.
Napag-alaman sa resulta ng isang pag-aaral sa Malaysia sa 1,362 pasyente na apat sa limang survivor ang nakararanas ng pagkabahala at ganitong bilang din ang nakararanas ng depresyon isang taon pagkaraan ng kanilang diagnosis.
Inihayag ng pangunahing awtor na si Shridevi Subramaniam, research officer sa National Clinical Research Center, Ministry of Health Malaysia, sa Kuala Lumpur Malaysia, na: “We urgently need new ways of supporting cancer survivors and addressing wider aspects of wellbeing.
“Instead of just focusing on clinical outcome, doctors must focus equally on quality of life for cancer patients especially psychologically, financially and socially.”
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Isinama ng mga researcher sa pag-aaral ang mga pasyenteng Malaysian mula sa ACTION study (ASEAN Cost in Oncology Study) na halos 33 porsiyento ang may breast cancer. Sumagot sila sa mga questionnaire para masuri ang health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Kabilang din sa survey ang anxiety at depression levels.
Mahalaga ang pagiging kuntento ng pasyente sa kanilang pisikal at mental na kalusugan pagdating sa cancer care.
Ngunit ipinakita sa pag-aaral na ang mental at pisikal ng pasyente ay naging mababa sa buong 12 buwan pagkatapos ng diagnosis. Kung mas malubha ang cancer, mas mababa ang HRQoL.
Malaki rin ang kinalaman ng uri ng cancer dahil magkakaiba ang kalubhaan ng mga sakit. Tulad na lamang ng kababaihan na may reproductive system cancer na mas mataas ang wellbeing scores kaysa mga pasyente na may lymphoma. Dahil marahil sa mas mabilis na pagkalat ng lymphoma at mabagal naman ang reproductive system cancers tulad ng cervical.
“The key message is to focus more on supporting patients throughout their whole cancer ‘journey’ especially in their lives after treatment,” ani Subramanian.
May epekto rin ang cancer sa pamumuhay at pagkatao ng matatanda at young adults, ayon sa hiwalay na isinasagawang pag-aaral.
Saad ng senior author associate professor na si Alexandre Chan, ng Department of Pharmacy ng National University of Singapore, at Special Pharmacist ng National Cancer Center sa Singapore: “The young differ from older people because they don’t expect to be ill, and certainly not with cancer. They’re also at a stage when they’re facing many social responsibilities and family burdens. “That’s why they need effective supportive care and help in managing the physical, psychological and emotional side-effects that come with both cancer diagnosis and treatment.”
Sa pagtugon sa mga ganitong pag-aaral, sinabi ni Ravindran Kanesvaran, assistant professor ng Duke-NUS Medical Schoo, at Consultant Medical Oncologist ng National Cancer Center sa Singapore na: “There is a critical need to find ways of addressing the high levels of distress among cancer survivors in general as highlighted by the Malaysian study.
“The psycho-social impact of cancer on adolescents and young adults also clearly needs further evaluation. This is to assess the impact on quality of life at the time of diagnosis as well as throughout and after treatment.
“What’s required are specific interventions to meet the needs of this age group, as well as specially tailored survivorship programmes and supportive care.
“While it’s not surprising that the young adult cancer population has a higher risk of suicide, conducting studies like this help us find new ways to address this issue effectively.” (Medical News Today)
