UPON diagnosis, the first things cancer patients should ask their oncologists are treatment and ways to maximise their chances to control the disease. They should ask about chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery as well as side effects and cost of the treatments.
Pantai Hospital Kuala Lumpur consultant clinical oncologist Dr John Low Seng Hooi says patients should focus on the positive side of the disease, that it’s curable and treatable, rather than be influenced by negative stories. Someone will always have a story about cancer, and patients should not let that affect their focus on getting better.
He adds: “Some patients will ask how long they have to live. I tell them nobody knows. I will tell them not to focus on that. Focus instead on the treatment, on preparing for it and handling the side effects. Don’t be influenced by statistics, because you are not the same as other cancer patients.
“Even those with the same type of cancer and at the same stage will have different outcomes. Your immune system is different from another person’s and reaction to treatment will be different. So focus on your cancer, not other people’s. If you keep thinking you will die, it will affect the treatment outcome.”
Low says patients should be able to ask their oncologists anything. While some questions may seem irrelevant to the doctors, they are important to the patient, to help them understand the disease and its management better.
“My patients can ask me anything and I will answer to the best of my ability based on the evidence. If I’m unable to answer, I will refer them to those who can. Cancer management is not a one-man show. It’s a team effort between oncologists, surgeons, nurses, nutritionists and counsellors,” he says.
“Patients should not be afraid to ask questions. If they are, then they have the wrong doctor and should look for another because if you can’t communicate with your doctor, it will be difficult for you to go through this journey,”
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Upon diagnosis, patients should make a decision on the treatment within a week or two, as delays can make matters worse. They should seek a second or even third opinion if they want but they should do so from reliable sources and at a reputable hospital.
They should believe in scientific-based information. Once satisfied with the information, start the treatment immediately.
As for the myths and misconceptions, Low said this has caused patients to shy away from treatment because they believe it will kill them. They hear about the side effects from friends, family and the Internet, and they then decide they don’t want to be treated.
“I tell them cancer is just another disease. Yes, it is a serious disease. All the more reason to treat it. All the more reason to go for screening to detect it early, so that you can treat it and increase your chances of survival,” says Low.
“Not going for treatment won’t solve the problem. It is normal to be afraid as there are lots of uncertainties. Of course we don’t win all the time. No matter what the disease, you win some, you lose some. But cancer is curable if detected early.”
He says patients who don’t know about cancer will reject treatment or seek alternative medicine. For example, he says, despite the many awareness campaigns about breast cancer from public and private sectors, there are patients who come in at an advanced stage, even women below 40 years old. Some would find the lump but would not seek medical attention for two or three years as they fear treatment would make it worse. When they finally seek medical attention, the cancer has spread to other parts and because of this, treatment is difficult and chance of survival is less.
Then there are patients who refuse treatment initially but come back when alternative medicine does not work. Most of the time, the cancer would now be at an advanced stage.
Low says: “Dispelling myths and misconceptions about cancer should be the effort of everyone, not only doctors. It is also important that media stops publicising alternative medicine.”
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| “It is normal to be afraid because there are lots of uncertainties. But cancer is curable if detected early.”Dr Low Seng Hooi, Consultant Oncologist |
