(NC)—Perhaps you, or someone you know has cancer —and in your effort to get information you see countless articles in newspapers and magazines proclaiming this breakthrough drug, and that new technique.
How does one make sense of it all and then determine what is most important? Let’s look at a few tips from Pharmacia, a leading research-based company that specializes in anti-cancer medicines:
Tip #1: Know your terms. Oncology is the name for the "specialty of cancer", so that is why there are oncology nurses, oncology pharmacists, and oncology doctors, such as medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, surgical oncologists, pediatric oncologists, and more.
Tip #2: Join the team. Consider yourself an important team member. You are not just an observer, you are an active participant. Get involved. The more properly informed you become, the greater the chance that the appropriate treatment will be chosen.
Tip #3: Ask questions. Ask lots of questions of your oncology medical team. The treatment chosen depends largely on the stage of the disease. Be absolutely certain of the diagnosis. What is the stage of the disease? Are any lymph nodes involved? What is the grade? What about hormone receptor status, if relevant, or other prognostic factors? With answers to these questions, you will be able to get more specific information from different sources.
Tip #4: Focus. Gather information, use the library, the Internet, the various cancer groups and societies. Then, refine it to your particular situation. Focus on all of the available options for your circumstances only. Disregard the options that don’t apply. Every situation is different.
Tip #5: Consider the Proof. When deciding on a treatment, speak to your physician and look for the evidence. Is there proof that it works? Every treatment or treatment regimen should have published clinical trial evidence showing, "clinical superiority" or "a statistically significant survival advantage", if possible. This is the basis of modern, "evidence-based" medicine. If you are seeking something without this kind of evidence, consider it experimental.
Tip #6: Lead the way. Consider entering a clinical trial if asked. Clinical trials always compare the standard treatment to a new experimental treatment that has the potential to be better (and is highly unlikely to be worse). By participating in a clinical trial, you may get the latest technology even before its time, and you will be helping improve the lives of patients for generations to come.
Pharmacia has been discovering, developing and bringing to market anti-cancer medicines for more than three decades. They are a leading supplier of evidence-based chemotherapy treatments for patients in Canada and around the world. More information is available online at www.pharmaciaoncology.com.
- News Canada
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