Prof Roger Ngan
Clinical Professor
Department of Clinical Oncology
LKS Faculty of Medicine
The University of Hong Kong
Like the other 30000 patients in Hong Kong each year, the cancer has come to you as a blow. You have experienced the emotional upset, fear, anxiety, anger, and helplessness upon the first diagnosis of cancer, but rest assured, as you will never walk alone. Your doctor, nurses and other professionals in the medical team, your partner, your family and your friends are always ready to lend you the help you will ever need to fight cancer. The care for you expressed by others will often exceed your expectations, indicating the affection others are cherishing for you that you have not noticed before.
Medical treatments these days are very advanced, which they can treat and even control most advanced cancers. However tough the treatment lying ahead may appear to be, with appropriate emotional support and encouragement, you, like many others in the previous years, will get through the treatment and emerge stronger than before. You should also reach out and share your emotions, feelings, and experience with volunteers in patient groups who are also diagnosed of the same cancer. You will learn and get comfort from your predecessors you will meet in the patient groups. Moreover, the experience you may gather from the treatments can also bring tips, encouragement, light and hope to the others who will follow your footsteps.
Prof. Vivian Lin
Executive Associate Dean
Interim Head of Department of Clinical Oncology
LKS Faculty of Medicine
The University of Hong Kong
A diagnosis of cancer can be overwhelming and scary. The word ‘cancer’ has long been associated with images of suffering, uncertainty, and death. However, cancer no longer needs to be a death sentence. With the tremendous developments in cancer treatments and the ongoing research being put in, cancer patients can have far better quality of life and live more fulfilling lives than they used to. The survival of cancer patients has improved with the more and more breakthroughs and advances in technologies and treatments. New technology allows for more effective targeted treatments that can effectively kill cancer cells, whilst preserving other tissue thus minimising the previously feared side effects.
You as a patient are also not alone. Having cancer can be isolating, especially if people around you are tackling this diagnosis for the first time. You may feel that you must be brave in order not to worry your loved ones, or that no one truly understands the difficulties and suffering you are facing. That is understandable. Cancer can also be scary and difficult to manage, with multiple treatment options, treatment schedules, many tests and so on. It can be overwhelming to manage on your own. Therefore, lean on your support group and lean on your healthcare team. The stigmatisation around cancer is fading, and it is okay to voice that you are not okay.
Cancer is manageable. And when it is not, there are ways to relieve the symptoms to make life more comfortable. Many patients go on to live fulfilling lives by managing their condition. Patients need to be kind to themselves and remember that ‘cancer’ is just a word and it need not be a death sentence.
