According to the World Health Organization (WHO), cancer is a disease that can affect any part of the body; being its definition as the multiplication of abnormal cells that spreads throughout the body and / or spreading to other organs (this process is what is known as metastasis). Cancer has become one of the main causes of death around the world; for example, in 2020 around 10 million deaths were attributed to cancer. This figure gives us a visibility of the high impact that this disease has on the population.
Who are the cancer survivors?
A cancer survivor is defined as a person who has had a cancer disease and is now cancer-free.
On many occasions, these people feel that society and even their loved ones demand that they be as they were before the disease, something that may be impossible for many; a large percentage of these survivors, once they have finished their treatments, have major problems that make it impossible for them to develop in the same way they used to.
Since 1988, the "National Cancer Survivors Day" has been celebrated in the United States and many other countries, with the objective of giving visibility to the needs of those who have overcome the cancer process, making society aware of the reality of survivors and their families.
The difficulties of cancer survivors are little known and, therefore, in many cases, they feel misunderstood by society. The health, psychological, social, labor, economic and legal needs that arise are not covered after remission, hence the importance of celebrating and giving visibility to this World Day and to all those people who are at this stage today.
Today, we share with you some recommendations to maintain good physical and mental health after overcoming the treatment.
- Adopt a balanced diet.
- Start an active physical activity under the recommendation of a specialist.
- Have your check-ups and/or analyses recommended by your doctor, on a regular basis.
- Stay away from tobacco.
- Seek psychological support to control emotions such as stress, anxiety, depression and even fear of recurrence, among others.
After cancer treatment, many survivors want to know what to do so that the possibility of their cancer returning is minimized. That is why at Panama Cancer Clinic, you will have all the resources and a multidisciplinary team to adequately address the physical, psychological and emotional aspects as a cancer survivor.
