by
Lisa Chamoff, Contributing Reporter | October 04, 2017
4. Focus on the whole patient
Patient comfort is always paramount during treatment, but several studies, as well as the keynote by ASTRO President Brian Kavanagh, focused on the mental health issues that arise during cancer treatment.
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One study found that nearly half of all patients who reported having severe distress subsequently missed one or more radiation therapy appointments, compared with fewer than 20 percent of patients who reported lower levels of distress. Another study showed that of the 40 percent of patients at an urban cancer center in Newark, New Jersey, diagnosed with depression, three in four had not previously been told they had depression.
Kavanagh shared his experience with one of his former patients, Dee-Anna, showing how, through poetry, she processed her feelings on having a terminal illness, giving him a glimpse into her journey that he might not have otherwise seen through their regular appointments.
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