A lot of people worldwide were being diagnosed with cancer each year, and the disease can be really frightening. But, studies show that people with cancer can actually manage their condition as long as they follow some effective steps after a cancer diagnosis.
Here are the 4 important steps to take to effectively beat cancer, according to TIME.
Share your health data with the research community
Many cancer patients are sharing their health data, such as health information and sequencing data, with the research community. By analyzing patients' data, researchers can make new discoveries that could possibly make a huge impact on patients' lives, as well as future generations.
In addition, patient registries which allow patients to share their health data are becoming more common now. If you want to opt for this, you can ask your oncologist or contact a research organization focusing on your cancer.
Building the right team is important
One of the most important things to do is to see an oncologist, who specializes in certain types of cancer and has experiences in treating a lot of patients. When treating cancer, we should always opt for the best and right team - as it can be a matter of life and death.
For example, a study revealed patients with multiple myeloma treated at hospitals with a large number of myeloma patients were less likely to die compared to those treated elsewhere.
You should get the right test
Aside from the usual tests used for cancer diagnosis, tumor genome sequencing is also important. It basically scans the DNA of cancer cells for cancer-causing genetic mutations, as well as other molecular abnormalities.
Such changes could be used to match some patients to the most effective treatment available - either existing drugs or under clinical trials. But if ever you couldn't to have your genome sequenced, you can ask your doctor to "bank" your tissue to have it sequenced later on.
You should get the right treatment
The majority of cancers have a standard of care, basically, the accepted treatment regimen to fight the disease. Researchers said not receiving the standard for care might lead to deadly consequences. For instance, a particular study has found that lung cancer patients who didn't get treatment lived for about six times shorter compared to those patients who did.
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines also provided information regarding the standard of care for certain types of cancer - based on the most up-to-date scientific evidence.
