Four members of the MD Anderson Cancer Center Madrid – Hospiten medical team will take part in two discussions about gynecologic cancer and colon cancer, a workshop on cancer in the couple and a debate on strategies to manage side effects.
- People with cancer usually get involved in the treatment of their disease in a proactive way. The objective of the meeting is to help patients find answers to their questions and to be able to face the disease with a positive attitude.
This weekend in Madrid the VIII National Congress for Cancer Patients (GEPAC) will take place. With the aim of analyzing and pooling all available tools and strategies for an integral approach to cancer, specialists from MD Anderson Cancer Center Madrid – Hospiten will participate in various discussions and workshops for patients, their families and friends.
All diseases, but especially cancer, have negative effects on the every day lives of those who suffer it. Throughout the cancer process, patients come up against doubts, opinions and experiences that are often not discussed with the consultant. For that reason, taking part in forums like this provides doctors and patients with an alternative means of communication that is particularly useful when seeking answers to their questions.
The first of the activities in which MD Anderson Cancer Center participates is the discussion on colon cancer. In the discussion, Pedro Robledo, a nutritionist at the center, will analyze, together with four other specialists, his point of view on diagnosis, prognosis, treatments, new therapies, physical after effects and quality of life during cancer. Throughout the talk, patients will be able to ask the medical professionals the questions they have and discuss their experiences.
At the same time, the discussion on gynecologic cancer will take place with Dr. Raquel Bratos, from the MD Anderson Cancer Center Madrid – Hospiten Medical Oncology Service, with two other speakers. With patients taking an active part and using a multidisciplinary approach, the different types of gynecologic cancer and the psychological aspects of the disease will be examined.
During the discussion on strategies currently available to manage side effects, Arancha Ruiz, a nurse at MD Anderson Cancer Center Madrid – Hospiten, and four other speakers, will lead an analysis of the symptoms and complications brought about by the administering of pharmacological therapies. Cancer treatments usually involve a series of side effects that the patient often does not know how to deal with. “So, our aim is to explain the tools they have available to them to control these effects and to help them understand the reactions they have to treatments”, explains Ruiz.
Finally, Marta de la Fuente, a psycho-oncologist, will lead a workshop titled ‘Cancer in the couple. A question of two’. The MD Anderson specialist will talk about how cancer can affect, both positively and negatively, the relationship between a couple. At the same time, she will give details of the benefits of communication to better face the disease.
The National Congress for Cancer Patients (GEPAC) has consolidated itself in the last eight years as the main meeting point between cancer patients, their families, friends and professionals, with the aim of pooling useful, contrasted, quality information on cancer, in addition to serving as an incomparable setting in which to share experiences with other people who are going or have gone through the same and to obtain resources and tools that are useful in improving quality of life.