Cancer diagnosis: Read how Psycho-oncology helps

“The worst thing for me was not the diagnosis itself, but that I recently learned that the doctors found cancer cells in my body again,” says Kurt Schroeder, who speaks under this pseudonym. “Not good news when you have pancreatic cancer. I operated, but there were still remnants of cancer cells, it would be better if they didn’t find anything, but I’m an unbridled optimist.’

Schroeder, 61, has always been healthy. He is passionate about his hobbies, natural history and photography. In August 2022 he was diagnosed with cancer, in October the first operation was performed. The head of the pancreas and the duodenum were removed. Chemotherapy followed, with the familiar side effects of nausea, vomiting and changes in taste. “The bread tasted like sandpaper, the bananas were syrupy, I couldn’t eat them.” So he turned to Gudrun Bruns, head of the Cancer Center in Münster.

Weight on the emotional and psychological aspect

Bruns has a long experience in the field of Psycho-oncology, a scientific discipline that developed in the 70s. “Psycho-oncology deals with the psychological and social changes created by the disease of cancer. There is also an interaction between the patient’s physical and mental state,” Bruns says. Studies have shown that approximately 25 to 30% of all people diagnosed with cancer develop psychological disorders or psychosocial impairments during the course of the disease. The staff of the counseling centers focus on the individual problems of cancer patients and their fears, in order to accompany them on the difficult path of returning to everyday life. It also provides help with practical matters and information about possible next steps: In Germany, for example, one of these is applying for a disability card. Many don’t even know they can claim it. “Bruns knows a lot of people and institutions, she has connections that you don’t even know about,” says Schroeder. “It’s a huge psychological relief when you know that you can turn to various agencies that support you in many ways.”

Some of the goals of the IPOS Psycho-oncology Society are to turn attention to the emotional and psychological aspect of cancer, to integrate them into the treatment of the disease and to improve conditions worldwide. Founded in 1984 with headquarters in Toronto and New York, the organization is committed to making Psycho-Oncology an integral part of cancer treatment worldwide. This is helped by international collaborations and various interest groups, and of course intensive research. That’s more than 19 million people diagnosed with cancer in 2020 alone, according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). The number will rise. IARC estimates that the number of cancer deaths worldwide will almost double from 9.96 million in 2020 to approximately 16.3 million in 2040. This makes it even more important to offer Psycho-Oncology counseling and treatment worldwide. The concerns and fears faced by sufferers are much the same, regardless of whether they are people in Africa, Asia or Europe, and regardless of the type of cancer.

Psychological support for relatives as well

But it is not only the patient himself but also his environment. A cancer diagnosis turns the lives of relatives upside down. Studies show that they are also exposed to intense psychological stress because their daily life is also changing. “Relatives often feel that they have to support the sick person as much as possible, and then their own lives are completely lost from the field of view. But satisfying one’s own wants and needs is often associated with moral qualms and guilt, even if it’s just a visit to the cinema or various leisure activities,” explains Bruns. “Such behavior, however, does not help anyone, it is absolutely essential that relatives find ways to recharge their own batteries.”

Schroeder has his own experience. He knows firsthand that too much self-sacrifice can quickly backfire. His partner, Simone Boormann, (also a pseudonym), had already been diagnosed with cancer in 2010. “When I was accompanying my partner at the time, I realized how terribly exhausting it was,” recalls Schroeder. “Then when I got my own cancer diagnosis, I kept telling my partner not to come to the hospital every day. At some point she reached her limits and mentally collapsed.” Boorman was then diagnosed with cervical cancer. “It was a fast-growing tumor and I had three operations,” she says. “My uterus and parts of my vagina were removed.” Since then the 55-year-old has lived a normal life without cancer.

She herself experienced her stay in the hospital completely differently from her partner. “For me it was very important to have frequent visits, to have support and to know that someone is there.” “After a cancer diagnosis, the whole range of emotions usually comes to the surface. Not just fear, anger and mood swings, but also sadness,” Bruns says. “Grief over the loss of the good of health one had before becoming ill.” Because before the diagnosis most people take health for granted. Of course, in the meantime, cancers are more curable and better treatable. “But what remains is the association of disease with death,” Bruns points out. “Continuously encouraging cancer patients again and again is one of the most important tasks in Psycho-oncology. “Often it’s about not leaving people alone and just listening to them.” In his own experience, Schroeder says there is no set process. “Conversations just arose from day to day. They started, for example, with Mrs. Bruns to ask: “How are you today? And then you just start talking and talking.”

Read the News today and get the latest news.
Follow Skai.gr on Google News and be the first to know all the news.