Rehabilitation in Cancer Patients

It is a fact that the number of people struggling with cancer in the world is increasing day by day. As a result of this situation, new approaches to the treatment of cancer are emerging. Today, with the advances made in cancer treatment, the life expectancy of patients has increased. Thus, issues of coping with the disease, reducing the side effects of medications, minimizing patients’ complaints, especially fatigue and pain, and improving the quality of life have begun to come to the fore. Oncological rehabilitation studies are carried out to improve health in the field of cancer. Oncological rehabilitation includes patient-centered multi-disciplinary team work, including counseling for the patient and their relatives, reducing the patient’s complaints, nutritional habits, physiotherapy and rehabilitation programs, respiratory rehabilitation, cognitive rehabilitation and psychological rehabilitation.

Things to Know About Cancer Patient Psychology

Cancer occurs as a result of the uncontrolled growth of the cells that make up the human body. People who encounter cancer for the first time may show different reactions depending on their character. However, the process of fighting cancer is a difficult process for many people, albeit from different perspectives. In the initial stage, many patients may have difficulties accepting the disease. In other words, they may deny the disease and treatment. This process is followed by a feeling of rebellion and the person may question why this disease happened to him. Symptoms of depression, such as inability to enjoy life, may be observed in patients. Against such situations, psychological support should be offered to cancer patients as soon as the first diagnosis is made. Cancer is a disease that can affect not only the body but also the entire life of an individual. Even if cancer treatment ends, the fear of cancer recurrence can disrupt a person’s comfort in life. Even if the person is mentally healthy, he or she may need psychological support during a long treatment process. Receiving psychological support during this process supports the patient’s fight against cancer. Therefore, psycho-oncology is an integral part of cancer treatment.

Specialists and the patient’s relatives, in particular, need to be careful when approaching patients diagnosed with cancer. Cancer and psychology are in a cause-effect relationship. Although the cause of cancer is not fully known, some studies suggest that being under intense stress may trigger cancer formation. At the same time, intense stress accompanied by fear of death during treatment may reduce the chances of success of the treatment. Cancer treatment is a process that requires the patient, specialist doctors and the patient’s relatives to act together. Cancer patients may experience sudden physiological and psychological changes during the treatment process. Therefore, it is important for the patient’s relatives to be informed about how to approach a cancer patient.

Psychological Support Program for Cancer Patients

People are social beings. Therefore, getting psychological support is important not only for cancer patients but also for other individuals. For cancer patients, receiving psychological support is much more important in terms of adaptation to treatment. The first encounter with cancer and the subsequent treatment process may bring about some difficulties and changes in the patient’s daily life, business life, social life, and life at home with his family. This process can be a difficult process for the patient as well as the patient’s relatives. For this reason, experts who deal with the psychology of cancer patients first start by informing the patient and their relatives about the disease.

The first aim of psychological support programs is to ensure that the patient accepts the disease. Otherwise, it may be difficult for patients to accept treatment.  The side effects of some cancer treatments  can sometimes make the patient feel powerless and helpless. In support programs, patients   are also informed that the side effects of cancer treatments are not permanent. In addition, some of these side effects may cause changes in the appearance of cancer patients. Changes such as hair loss and weight change can negatively affect the patient’s psychology. He may be worried that his hair will not grow back and that he will not look the same as before. Cancer patients are told by experts in the psychological support program that these effects are temporary.

The Importance of Rehabilitation Support in Cancer Patients

All procedures performed on a patient with cancer, at the beginning of the disease, during chemotherapy or radiotherapy, during complications that may occur after cancer, or after the patient has fully recovered, are called cancer rehabilitation. In other words, cancer and oncological rehabilitation aims to provide physical, social and psychological support to cancer patients during the disease process. The rehabilitation process for cancer patients is determined by taking into account the health status of the patients.

Cancer rehabilitation can be done at any stage of the disease. The stages of rehabilitation can be listed as follows:

• Protection phase: This is the phase in which the patient first encounters the disease and intensely experiences situations such as worry, fear and anxiety. Therefore, in the protection phase, the patient is first approached appropriately. Detailed information is given to the patient and their relatives about the disease and treatment process.
• Restorative phase: This phase aims to facilitate the daily lives of patients receiving treatments such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy and to minimize the side effects of the treatments. The patient is informed about maintaining physical activity. In this process, the support of the family is also very important for the cancer patient. For this reason, psychological support is also provided to the patient’s relatives during the restorative phase.
• Supportive phase: In some cancer patients, cancerous tissues may spread to other organs. This process may cause the patient to become more hopeless and anxious. As a result, the patient may withdraw from social life. In the supportive phase, the aim is to increase the physical activity of the cancer patient and maintain their living standards as much as possible.
• Palliative phase: This is a period in which the patient becomes very tired physically, psychologically and socially. The main goal is to preserve the patient’s standard of living in the palliative phase.

As the success rate of cancer treatments increases, oncological rehabilitation becomes even more important. The oncological rehabilitation program is managed by a team consisting of experts in the field such as patient relatives, nurses, nutritionists and physiotherapists. Rehabilitation primarily aims to preserve the living standards of the patient receiving cancer treatment. Muscle strengthening or aerobic exercises may be recommended to the patient. Exercise also contributes positively to the patient’s mental state.

The Effect of Support Groups in Fighting Cancer

The family and relatives of the cancer patient try to support the patient as much as possible during the disease process. However, cancer is a disease that requires a long treatment process. This process may cause the patient’s relatives to become tired and not be able to provide adequate support for the patient. The psychology of cancer patients may not always be the same. Sometimes emotions such as fear of death, the feeling of not being able to realize plans, and anxiety may be experienced more intensely. Nowadays, thanks to the increasing number of support groups, cancer patients can express themselves easily and get rid of the feeling of loneliness. Support groups can be created by psychologists who are experts in their field. These groups are groups that both cancer patients and their relatives can participate in.

The effects of cancer support groups on patients can be listed as follows:

• Those who have difficulty accepting the disease accept it more easily
• Patients and their relatives can share their feelings and concerns more easily because they know that others in the group are experiencing similar processes.
• It becomes easier to adapt to physical changes such as hair loss, weight change or limb loss during the treatment process.
• The desire to exist in social life increases
• People can also talk about death when necessary

Even when cancer is completely cured, some patients may develop a fear of experiencing the same thing again. These groups also help people cope with anxiety.

Cancer is one of the diseases that can be treated today. Thanks to advances in the field of medicine, the survival rate of cancer patients is gradually increasing. In the treatment of the disease, early diagnosis, drug therapy or surgical treatment as well as oncological rehabilitation support are very important. You can also consult the nearest health institution to get detailed information about the importance of rehabilitation for cancer patients.