Editorial
When you remove the compassion of nurses and
the love and support of family and friends from the patients at our cancer
treatment centres, the stark reality of cancer is there-shaved heads,
restricted nutritional intake, excessive weight loss, daily pain and branding
by a central line for chemotherapy.
This insidious, devastating disease strikes young and old. Despite five decades of cancer research and
treatment, we have made little progress fighting the disease that was to be
eradicated by the year 2000.
Some treatment is helping. Your chances of survival are greater if your
cancer is detected early, shared by many and profitable for the drug
companies. But, confronted with rare
forms of the disease your odds are greatly reduced.
Contrary to the myth that cancer is a disease
of aging, young adults face the disease daily- lymphomas, leukemia, bone
cancer, brain cancer, breast and testicular cancer. There also exists a medical paradox for young
adults. Twenty-five years after Terry
Fox tried to raise awareness that young people get cancer, family physicians
are still not looking for it. They see
the wellness in the young patient and often misdiagnose their symptoms. Once diagnosed (often months after the onset
of symptoms), many physicians at the treatment centres see only the cancer and
fail to work with the strengths, “the health”, the young people still have
including a strong heart, the vitality of youth, will to live and extensive
support network.
Young adults are often painted with the same
brush and protocols as our older patients facing cancer, but do not have the
luxury of time. Due to their hormones,
the disease is more aggressive and often fatal.
They have hopes and dreams for career and family, but their potential;
and that for society is lost.
Changes need to take place within our health
care system to alter the outcomes and statistics for our young adults. Awareness and physician education is
critical. Medical care and policies need
to improve. Hospital weaknesses in communication,
pain management, medication delivery and on-call systems have to be
strengthened. Tracking and research into
the cause of cancer affecting young adults is essential. Young adults with persistent symptoms need to
ask their physician: “Could this be
cancer”?
Survivors and their families, friends,
concerned individuals and health care professionals interested in making a
difference need to speak out. Questions
need to be asked. The Canadian Cancer
Society, Cancer Care
Lorna and Rob Larsen (2005)
(Sentinel
Review, Woodstock; Beacon Harold,
Stratford; Temiskaming Speaker, New
Liskeard; Northern Daily News,
Kirkland Lake; Gazette, University of
Western Ontario, London)