2023-07-19 09:18:34
by Vera Martinella
Half or more of cancer patients experience psychological distress: anxiety, depression and stress disorders are widespread, but 80% of patients cannot use these figures now considered indispensable in all studies. The international conference to be held in Milan at the end of August has been presented to the Senate
In Italy, the psycho-oncology service is guaranteed to only one patient out of five. 80% of cancer patients are forced to find solutions on their own or use do-it-yourself structures, thanks to volunteers and not always specialized figures. With serious damage to the ability to fight cancer and strong repercussions on the quality of life of both the individual and the family member. Yet our country is at the forefront in this sector – explains Gabriella Pravettoni, professor of Decision Psychology at the University of Milan and director of the Psycho-Oncology Division of the European Institute of Oncology in Milan – and in guaranteeing patients the right support in a very delicate phase, as hundreds of clinical studies published in the main international scientific journals now underline.
A leadership confirmed by the assignment to our country of the XXIV world congress of Psycho-oncology which will be held at the Milan fair from 31 August to 3 September, presented today in a press conference in the Senate of the Republic, on the initiative of Senator Francesco Zaffini, president of the Health Commission of Palazzo Madama. The psycho-oncologist now recognized as fundamental in the multidisciplinary teams in the Oncology divisions – underlines Pravettoni, president of the conference – his role is to enhance personal resources in the management of the disease and of one’s own treatment path by acting on several levels: family, doctor, society .
Psychological support from diagnosis onwards
Every year in Italy about 370,000 people fall ill with cancer. Many of them recover or live with the pathology for years and after the therapies they return to their daily work and family life. But being diagnosed with cancer is always a shock and the impact of the disease on the psychological well-being of patients and their families continues to be relevant in the months, sometimes years, that follow. Thanks to early diagnoses and above all to new therapies, we have managed to control a large part of the neoplasms for a long time – explains Paolo Marchetti, scientific director of IDI of Rome, Professor of Oncology at the La Sapienza University of Rome and president of the Foundation for Personalized Medicine -: 88% of women affected by breast cancer are alive at 5 years, as well as 65% of those diagnosed with colon cancer and 90% with prostate cancer, while for over one million Italians we can talk about healing. Therapies are increasingly personalized and effective but must be managed and explained to the patient and caregivers. It is also important to measure the side effects due to the long duration of the new treatments, often even of modest entity due to the classification used by the doctor, but which can instead have very heavy influences on the daily life of those who have to bear them. Psycho-oncology in this process is now essential and an integral part of the multidisciplinary team that deals with the neoplasm.
Anxiety and stress for more than half of the sick
Half or more of cancer patients experience psychological distress: Anxiety, depression and stress disorders are widespread. There’s no shame in asking for help if we realize we need it. in fact, it has been proven that psychological support programmes, where necessary, have positive effects on subjective well-being and on the course of the disease, because they influence adherence to therapies, the doctor-patient relationship and that with family members. Sometimes just a few sessions, a chat, some useful suggestions or a brochure with information and contacts of psycho-oncologists to turn to if desired.
a service increasingly requested by the patient and family members both during the communication of the diagnosis, at the start of the therapeutic path up to the follow-up – adds Gianluca Vago, director of the Oncology Department of the State University of Milan -. Complex moments, often difficult to understand and deal with, which require a lot of willingness and the ability to listen. The majority of sick people ask for help in a loud voice, which is considered to all effects a fundamental element in the treatment process. In recent years we have activated training courses, which have involved both doctors and other health professionals, and psychologists in collaboration with hospitals and treatment centers sensitive and attentive to these issues.
A right for patients and their families
Fear, anger, anguish, sleep disturbances and emotional disturbances are a problem for almost all cancer patients when they discover they have cancer and for many years afterward. Unfortunately, the right to psychological support is still too often denied to cancer patients and caregivers – underlines Elisabetta Iannelli, Secretary General of FAVO (Italian Federation of Volunteer Associations in Oncology) -. We continually receive complaints about the absence of this figure in healthcare settings, while there are numerous patient associations that guarantee the psycho-oncologist with their own funds. But it’s time for a change, even if unfortunately the premises don’t look good with a National Oncology Plan that devotes very little space and no indication in terms of service planning and resource allocation to respond to this essential health need. We trust that this Government will show greater attention and concreteness, compared to the previous executive, in ensuring psychological assistance to millions of cancer patients. Bringing the World Congress to Italy is an important acknowledgment to all operators and now the eyes of the world are focused on our country.
The IPOS congress will bring together over 800 scientists from all over the world for 4 days, for a discussion on a discipline born in the 1950s in the United States: 700 abstracts, 480 oral presentations, plenary conferences, scientific sessions and satellite symposiums will allow a theme that is constantly updated and increasingly patient-friendly.
July 19, 2023 (change July 19, 2023 | 09:18)
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