Breast cancer treatment important aftercare

Breast cancer treatment: important aftercare

09/29/2014

The chances of a cure for breast cancer have improved steadily over the past few years and, according to experts, are now around 90 percent. But many cured patients still suffer from massive discomfort and side effects after treatment. Better aftercare could reduce the problems.

Years of following treatment
Even two years after the successful treatment of her breast cancer, the 62-year-old Erika B. is still suffering from the consequences. „Since then I am often exhausted, I am always worried and can hardly sleep the nights before a medical examination“, said the girl from Hamburg. She is not alone with her problems: women who are considered medically cured after breast cancer treatment, despite all, often suffer from pain, fatigue or mental health problems.

A study recently in the „German Medical Journal“ published, it is concluded that psychiatric and psychotherapeutic treatments are more than doubling when women develop breast cancer. About it reports now „Mirror online“ in a recent post. For the study, scientists led by Stefan Feiten from the Koblenz Institute for Health Services Research in Oncology evaluated the responses of 734 ex-patients between the ages of 30 and 91 whose initial diagnosis was on average more than three years old. According to the cancer diagnosis, nine percent of the respondents looked for a psychologist, but then 19 percent.

Some patients are over-treated
For many doctors, a cancer after treatment and subsequent rehab is usually done. Both long-term consequences and unnecessary burdens play a minor role. According to the article, modern medicine works with standardized guidelines for the treatment of breast cancer. Although this improves quality as a whole, it also often leads to over-therapy of patients, as treatment is not individually tailored to their individual needs. As the „Aerzteblatt“- In addition, the study found that sufferers choose chemotherapy even if the calculated survival advantage is only one day or 0.1 percent.

Discontinuation of therapy due to side effects
Mainly younger women suffer from their fate. Thus, some patients, depending on the type of cancer and therapies, hot flashes or menopause earlier onset. In addition, frequent side effects that can be identified as a result of cancer treatment include neutropenia, nausea and vomiting, anemia, neuropathy, mucosal inflammation, loss of appetite, diarrhea, hair loss, tiredness and fatigue, stomach problems, and chronic organ damage. A recent British study found that many patients stop their treatment too soon due to such side effects.

Mastectomy makes it difficult for those affected
Another serious problem is when the chest had to be removed. Many women then feel less attractive. Many sufferers are also less efficient. From the respondent of „Aerzteblatt“-The study had more than one-third (34 percent) pain, 17 percent swelled the operated side still on and 35 percent of women could no longer arm and shoulder as before. Especially the physically working had to experience being disadvantaged in the workplace. Altogether, 16 percent felt that they had been reset.

Effects on the relationship
In addition, about two percent of respondents complained of memory, concentration and word finding disorders caused by chemotherapy. However, this can often not be confirmed by neuropsychological tests. Compared with a healthy peer group, the levels of depression, anxiety and fatigue were higher in cancer patients. According to the study, relationships do not necessarily suffer from breast cancer. Thus, 75 percent of respondents saw no change, in twelve percent of cases, the couples were even close together. However, twelve percent had stated that the partnership had deteriorated. As the authors write, young women most often reported changes in the relationship. According to Feiten, this could have something to do with the fact that younger women are in the midst of life and are more demanding at home and at work. Therefore, the restrictions are all the more noticeable for them „sometimes severe“.

Better financing demanded
One of the biggest deficits sees the psycho-oncologist Thomas Schopperth, who cared for cancer patients and their relatives since 1986, in the lack of funding the counseling centers. „Nationwide, quality-assured cancer counseling centers are lacking in many regions and many of the existing ones are threatened with their existence“, warned the managing director of the cancer society Rhineland-Palatinate and national chairman of the German working group for psychosocial oncology (dapo) the „mirror“ according to. „We finally need funding from countries, municipalities, pension funds and health insurances.“ The counseling centers currently hold above all with donations over water, because the legal basis is missing.

Experts must be available close to home
„Already during the medical treatment, it should be reliably determined as early as possible which burdens are present in each individual and what support the affected persons actually need“, so Schopperth. For this, the experts would have to be close to the home and available on call. Schopperth further stated that it is about helping those affected to continue their own lives. The counseling centers have been called for as mediators with the authorities and administrations. As the expert further stated, more and more material support must be provided to temporarily secure existences, so that people can again live their lives out of their own resources. (Ad)