‘We need an educated patient’

Patient advocacy group Campaigning for Cancer is compiling cancer information and resource tool that will be available to everyone for free.

The non-profit organisation was founded by Lauren Pretorius as an advocacy patient group that lobbies for the promotion and protection of patients’ rights with regards to policy, healthcare costs and healthcare delivery.

Pretorius outlined that the campaign looked at whether or not the correct information or resources were made easily available to not only patients but everyone no matter their background. “There are studies out there that say if a patient has information, their outcomes are better and the results of their treatment are better. For us, that is what it is all about – we need an educated patient,” she said.

According to Dr Sze Wai Chan, a medical oncologist for Sandton Oncology, even though the South African Cancer Registry logged 936 cases of lung cancer in women and 1 791 cases in men in 2014, lung cancer remains to be the most deadly cancer. It is one of the most common cancers found in patients today.

She added that in most cases when patients begin to present symptoms they have already reach the third or fourth stage. ”

When we begin to pick up the signs, these are already late stages. The earlier stages present with a simple lump in the lung. It is very small so most the time the patient feels nothing.”

Pretorius added that this was just one of the reasons why such a tool was of great importance to society as it can reduce the amount of confusion amongst patients. “A few years ago we looked at Lymphoma and saw that there were these sort ‘unsexy’ cancers that there wasn’t very much information about. So we went and looked at our education partnerships and wanted to make sure that there was key messaging going out to patients.”

This tool will connect users to the what, who, when where and how. “We will direct people to a number of centres that can be of assistance to them. At the end of the day, our aim is not to hand out education material; our aim is to create a tool and a resource that everyone can use,” Pretorius added.

Dr Ronwyn van Eeden of the Medical Oncology Centre of Rosebank noted that treating a lung cancer patient required a good understanding by not only the doctor but also the patient. “Because lung cancer has such a high cancer death and mortality rate, which is already the first mountain that you need to cross, you [as a doctor] need to manage their expectations, you need to manage their hopes and make sure that there is a good understanding about what the goals of the treatments are.

“Be positive,” said lung cancer survivor Modi Mahendra. “One has to fight for their own recovery so you need to have full faith.”

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