‘Hiding
bad news can’t help cure cancer’
When they got to know that
their little son had contracted cancer, parents of this teenager decided not to
tell him about it. He refused to take any treatment telling the doctors his
parents told him he is just fine. After a little coaxing, he told the doctors
he knew about the disease as he had looked up the dictionary for the meaning of
oncology, the department where his parents had been taking him.
Another woman whose family
believed she didn't really know she had cancer told the doctors about her
knowledge of the disease. She then went on to say, "I know what is
happening to my body better than any of these tests and case reports will tell
you. If you don't let me share these experiences, how do you expect to treat
me?"
Denial and secrecy are
often the way most families in India deal with cancer, often not even telling
or directly talking to the patient about the condition. Most are afraid to
scare the patient, others worry about the social repercussions. However,
experts believe that curing cancer has to be a holistic approach and so the
patient has to be involved in it. This was the focal point of discussion during
a CME organized by Central India Cancer Research Institute (CICRI) and NGO
Sadhana Charitable Trust.
"Cancer has the
potential to be a chronic problem. If the patient is not communicated to
properly, he may lose confidence on the treating team as well as the family. It
shouldn't be referred to as breaking the bad news but as discussing the news.
It is more important to convey to the patient that we will all be there for
him," said Bangalore-based psycho-oncologist Dr Brinda Sitaram.
Highlighting the
importance of being communicative with cancer patients about their fears, Dr
Makarand Kubhalkar from Government Medical College informed how the mortality
rate among female patients was much higher in India. He said this was because
of social conditioning where women are supposed to endure pain and not express
it.
Mumbai-based Dr Veena
Shukla-Mishra from Cancer Patients' Aid Association (CPAA) informed that even
today she comes across families who refuse to marry their kids into one with a
known history of cancer. "There are several fears based on assumptions
that lead to such beliefs and actions. The thing these can only be dispelled if
they are spoken about and discussed," she said.
"The patient has to
be dealt with as one whole entity, his mind and emotions can not be separated
from the body while treating him. Therefore, psych-oncology as a field has to
be developed more," said city-based oncologist Dr Suchitra Mehta.
No comments:
Post a Comment