‘Hiding bad news can’t help cure cancer’

‘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.