A Closer Look at Chronic Diseases I see in my practice

A Chronic disease or illness can be defined as a persistent disease that progresses slowly and can be treated but not necessarily cured (Francesca et al., 2019). As a Radiation Therapist I treat various chronic cancer diagnoses with high doses of radiation. In many instances the treatment we deliver is not with intent to cure but rather with intent to relieve some of the oncologic symptom burden. With more recent treatment and technological advances a cancer diagnosis which was once thought to be a rapid and inevitable fatal disease is now able to be managed long term in some cases (Francesca et al., 2019). New screening, diagnostic testing, and salvage treatment options have allowed patients to live longer with their cancer diagnosis. The Canadian Cancer Society did come out with a study in 2019 showing that cancer is the leading cause of death in Canada- accounting for 28.2% of all deaths. In 2021 it is projected that approximately 118000 men and 109000 women would be diagnosed with cancer in Canada (Canadian Cancer Society, 2021).

(Canadian Cancer Society, 2021)

Although in my practice I do encounter all types of cancer one of the more chronic diagnoses I am involved with is Mycosis Fungoides. I am involved with these patients' long term care as in many instances they receive Radiation treatments multiple times over the course of their diagnosis. Mycosis Fungoides is the most common type of cutaneous T-cell Lymphoma. It is a rare condition with an incidence of 6.4 million persons in the United States (Segal et al., 2021). One treatment option for these patients is to receive orthovoltage radiation treatments which is low dose superficial radiation to treat targeted lesions. In most early stage cases of Mycosis Fungoides disease is often indolent and has a good prognosis. Due to this some view this condition as benign but it is important to remember that this chronic cancer diagnosis can affect the patient on a greater level than just the burden of the disease. One study conducted in 2020 looked into patients' perceptions of this disease. They found that although many early stage patients cope well and have limited effect on their Quality of Life impairment. However there are patients who perceive this diagnosis negatively and feel helpless. In these cases psychosocial supports need to be implemented to minimize the impact on these patients' quality of life (Segal et al., 2021). For patients with chronic illnesses it is paramount to provide holistic care to ensure they have the best possible outcomes.

References:

Canadian Cancer Society. (2021). Cancer Statistics at a Glance. Retrieved from: https://cancer.ca/en/research/cancer-statistics/cancer-statistics-at-a-glance?gclid=Cj0KCQiAsqOMBhDFARIsAFBTN3dJS3zJDXPbTwzi88aycP85h1Y4Ba1GCWz83SMEMZ3WEjP7LM-VLooaAvKdEALw_wcB

Francesca, S., Pizzoli, M., Renzi, C., Arnaboldi, P., Russell-Edu, W. & Pravettoni, G. (2019). From life-threatening to chronic disease: Is this the case of cancers? A systematic review, Cogent Psychology, 6:1, 1577593, DOI: 10.1080/23311908.2019.1577593

Segal O, Trumper N, Pavlotsky F, Goldzweig G, Barzilai A. (2021). Illness perception, coping, and quality of life in early-stage Mycosis fungoides. An Bras Dermatol. .https://doi.org/10.1016/j.abd.2020.05.008