New cancer report in Great Britain published by the MacMillan Institute looked at the evolution of disease and care from 1970 to 2016. It indicates that cancer patients are twice as likely to survive the disease as forty years ago, due in particular to the best treatments and the earlier diagnoses.
Survival brings its share of trauma
But every medal has its downside. And if it kills less than in the 70s, cancer brings its share of side effects like the Depression, the financial difficulties without forgetting the heaviness of the salaries. The report estimates that 625,000 people in the UK face some form of disability after their cancer treatment, ranging from permanent leg swelling to emotional trauma to incontinence or fertility issues.
“These are subjects that we avoid discussing but surviving after cancer can be a very traumatic experience” says Lynda Thomas, director of the MacMillan Association.
The challenge for health professionals is, according to her, to better explain the consequences of treatments to their patients so that no patient ever says “If I had known, I would not have followed my treatment”.
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