A survey released by the Taiwan Breast Cancer Foundation and Yilan’s Lotung Pohai Hospital yesterday showed that more than 60 percent of people with breast cancer feel intense fear of relapsing after treatment, only slightly less than the fear they felt when they were first diagnosed.
It surveyed breast cancer patients’ mental stress levels throughout the treatment process, between late February and March, collecting 2,450 valid responses.
Of the respondents, 74.5 percent had completed treatment and were undergoing follow-up care, 18 percent were undergoing treatment and 7.5 percent were receiving treatment due to metastasis or relapse.
Photo courtesy of the Taiwan Breast Cancer Alliance
Hospital deputy superintendent Yeh Hsien-tang (葉顯堂) yesterday said 63.1 percent of the respondents had long-term emotional distress or stress issues before their breast cancer diagnosis, 69.5 percent were extremely shocked and terrified when they were first diagnosed and 57.5 percent felt they had lost control or were helpless.
While most of the respondents are people who have completed treatment, up to 60.1 percent said they feel intense fear of a relapse, he said.
During treatment, 48.6 percent of respondents felt that changes in appearance, such as hair loss, mastectomy or reconstructive surgery, had a negative impact on their self-confidence, Yeh said.
Also during treatment, 44.4 percent felt anxious or depressed due to side effects of therapy — implying that drugs still have room for improvement, he said, adding that 38 percent of respondents felt anxious due to the economic burden of needing long-term treatment and follow-up care.
Past surveys showed that many patients had to get a loan to pay for cancer treatment, Yeh added.
The survey also found that patients’ emotional support mainly came from family, friends and their medical team.
The findings suggest that improving mental support and societal and economic assistance are needed to help breast cancer patients, Yeh said, adding that medical teams must also enhance their doctor-patient communication efficacy, establish mutual-aid communities and pay attention to the special needs of certain groups.
Foundation chairperson Chang King-jian (張金堅) said there are “acute stress” and “chronic stress,” the latter of which is accumulated stress from daily life or work.
If it is not resolved, it might negatively impact a person’s mental and physical well-being, affect their immune system and cause cancer or increase cancer aggressiveness or metastasis, he said.
Taking medication as prescribed or doing activities that reduce stress can lower the risk of developing cancer caused by chronic stress, he said.
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