WORRIES OF THE CANCER PATIENTS: THE EXPERIENCE OF THE EDUCATION CENTER OF THE INSTITUTO NACIONAL DE CANCEROLOGIA

Abstract

Introduction: to know the characteristics and worries of the cancer patients allows imparting an adequate attention to their needs in order to answer the experience of living with cancer. Objective: to identify the main worries of the cancer patients expressed to contact the center. Methods: selection for one year of cancer patients who attended to the education center for the patients and their families of the Instituto Nacional de Cancerología (INC). Field diaries were used to report each one of the worries related by those during the sessions in which they participated. Results: 1975 patients were evaluated during 2012. Between the worries identified with major noteworthiness are: the worry to the cancer treatments and their side effects, the worry of these treatments that apparently “burn the patient”, the loss of hair, not to be able to eat certain food and the worry to lose weight. With the surgery, appears the fear to the anesthesia and not to waking up, to the mutilation of some organ, to the change of corporal image in procedures as the mastectomy and the colostomy, to losing the voice, to the damage of the sexuality and to the management of devices. The previous expressions are related with the beliefs and myths of the social circles and of the environment of the patient for inadequate information and education on the disease and the treatments. Conclusions: the worries identified by the cancer patients are of different type: emotional and physical related with the effects of the treatment. Rev.cienc. biomed.2015;6(1):15-21 KEYWORDS Neoplasms; Health education; Medical oncology.

Keywords

• Neoplasms; Health education; Medical oncology