Each year, approximately 42,000 individuals in Ireland are diagnosed with cancer, including both invasive and non-invasive types. According to the latest data from the National Cancer Registry in Ireland (NCRI), over 24,000 of these cases are invasive. Yet, as of the end of 2021, around 215,000 individuals, either currently battling cancer or past sufferers, were living in Ireland. This signifies that 1 in 23 Irish residents are cancer survivors, marking a jubilant 50% rise in survivorship over the last ten years.
Including family members and companions into account, a significant segment of the population is grappling with the emotional strain resulting from cancer. In the current era of information saturation, an unfortunate number of misconceptions and false information about the disease have surfaced.
In response, a beneficial new publication, The Cancer Guide – How to Nurture Wellbeing Through and Beyond a Cancer Diagnosis, authored by Professor Anne-Marie O’Dwyer from Trinity College Dublin, who is also a consultant psychiatrist at St James’s hospital, was released on March 21st by Bedford Square Publishers. The book aims to aid patients and their families in overcoming the mental hurdles associated with cancer diagnosis and treatment.
The book offers unique insights into the patient experience, addressing thought processes and emotional reactions often deemed too difficult to share. As the author suggests, by giving readers a glimpse into these oft-hidden experiences, they might gain a better understanding of what the patients are going through and learn how best to provide support.
One standout chapter addresses widespread cancer myths O’Dwyer has encountered in her nearly 40 years of clinical practice. This includes assertions like “staying positive all the time is essential for overcoming cancer”, “discussing my emotions with my loved ones will only disturb them”, and “my energy levels have been irreversibly affected due to cancer”; illustrating just a few of the numerous unhelpful myths that are intelligently addressed in the book.
There are numerous misconceptions pertaining to cancer therapies. Various cancer patients are inclined to believe that upon completion of their treatment, they can return to their former state. In actuality, this notion is not particularly beneficial. Retracing steps is seldom useful in life.
Another widespread yet misguided belief is self-blaming for not rebounding post-treatment. “This underscores the importance”, highlights O’Dwyer, “of understanding that the cessation of treatment represents merely the commencement of rehabilitation … having triumphed over the active treatment stage, now the need is for support, compassion, and assistance to aid self-restoration to a functioning state.”
Then comes the widespread fallacy that “everyone else is coping far better than I am”. In reality, recovery rates vary among individuals. Given that every type of cancer and its treatments vary, comparing oneself to others holds no ground.
Post-cancer fatigue, a significant post-cancer concern, is extensively discussed in its own chapter. When the author and her team initiated a psycho-oncology service over two decades ago, fatigue was expected post-cancer. The book details the potential psychological, societal, and behavioural triggers of post-cancer fatigue. With fatigue enveloping, an inevitable deconditioning outcome occurs as some patients limit their engagement due to a perceived need for increasing rest. The book contains several practical suggestions to combat this deconditioning.
On the whole, chapters are illuminated by real (though anonymised) patient narratives. Their experiences of being listened to and empathised with are profound.