Overcoming Cancer Phobia Can Significantly Extend Cancer Patients' Lifespan
For most cancer patients, the first three years are the hardest. After being diagnosed with cancer, a heavy stone presses on the heart. Many patients become melancholy because of this; at the slightest change in test results, they feel as if the sky has fallen. But if they do not overcome cancer phobia, most patients will be crushed by stress, and both their quality of life and survival time will be greatly affected. It is like Murphy's law: if you constantly feel that something bad may happen, it really will. On the other hand, some patients, after participating in peer-support activities, have even seen their tumor markers automatically drop without using any medicine.
Recently I was in Wuhan and met a young cancer patient from my hometown, and I discussed this issue with her. Before the pandemic, when I encountered cancer patients with severe cancer phobia, I would suggest they join mutual-aid groups spontaneously formed by cancer patients, so as to release their psychological pressure through the activities organized by these groups. But after the pandemic began, society was frequently under control, and similar organizations could no longer function normally, so these patients actually lacked a good channel for catharsis.
The impact of the pandemic on everyone has been enormous, and there may be no good short-term solution. The cancer-patient community needs to explore new channels for releasing psychological pressure, to help themselves and other patients overcome cancer phobia. Peer education can play an important role among cancer patients; the successful anticancer stories of some "anticancer stars" can bring confidence and hope to other patients. So some organizations in society do nothing but collect successful anticancer stories, letting those patients recount their experiences; the patients in attendance unconsciously relieve their tense emotions.
Such organizations are good; some have already moved online. I also plan to gradually publish the stories of some anticancer stars on my own self-media channels. I suggest patients learn about and join such organizations through patient groups to release the pressure in their hearts. Some anticancer stars have written books about their stories or published their insights online; I also suggest patients read the books and articles they have written to draw experience and strength from them.
The tense emotions of cancer patients are hard to release so effectively in other groups, and some anticancer stars can indeed serve as excellent role models. Fighting cancer is an arduous struggle; in the course of treatment, the body inevitably suffers all kinds of damage. The family cannot understand the suffering of cancer patients, and doctors are too busy and lack the energy to attend to patients' mental health; only fellow sufferers best understand one another's hearts. Moreover, joining patient groups can also help with treatment: many professional oncologists and psychiatrists have good reputations within these groups, and patients can obtain this information from such organizations, avoiding many detours.
Psychological reconstruction for cancer patients is an important subject. The medical communities at home and abroad have already attached great importance to this issue, but limited by scarce medical resources, there is not yet a particularly effective solution. In my years of practice, I have instead observed that spontaneously organized groups of cancer patients, such as Sina's Cancer Friends Circle, play a role on this issue that medical institutions cannot. Of course, there are many similar organizations; for each different cancer type there are quite a few self-help groups.
Religious belief is also a powerful aid in releasing patients' psychological pressure. Most religious believers find it easier to calm down than ordinary patients, and a very few cancer patients have even miraculously recovered after taking up religion. Although I myself do not intend to believe in religion, I must admit that religious belief has given many patients great spiritual strength.
Religious belief can also make a patient more serene. Whatever the religion, as long as it is a legitimate religion rather than a cult, the patient can more easily calm the heart through prayer and the guidance of religious classics. I quite like dealing with religious people, because most of them possess a spirit of tolerance and self-reflection. These inner spiritual elements can help them ease tensions in interpersonal relationships and are also greatly beneficial when seeking medical care and gaining friends' support. But patients should take care not to become fanatical proselytizers; after all, many people are still quite averse to missionary activity.
Adult cancer patients should also try to have love and family affection; the companionship of a partner and family can provide strong support. Thus patients in harmonious families and close relationships tend to fare better than those in discordant families. Some patients, after getting cancer, attribute their affliction to the anger of family members and remain emotionally agitated in such blame; this does more harm than good. It is far better to treat family members with tolerance and kindness and win their support.
Actively returning to normal life is also very important for cancer patients. Illness needs treatment, but one must not erase every other aspect of life because of it. I have always encouraged recovering patients to return to normal life and work—to exercise actively, interact actively with friends and family, and live and work actively, just no longer overworking. Illness grows the more one coddles it; people cannot be too idle, for when idle they inevitably brood, become suspicious, and finally crush themselves.
Patients with the ability and means should actively read popular science literature about cancer. The more they read and understand, the fewer their inner confusions and the clearer their treatment thinking. In fact, in cancer treatment, the final decisions are basically made by patients and their families. This is an era of diversified medical choices; doctors cannot make the final decision for patients. Moreover, according to the concept of evidence-based medicine, the best treatment plan is one negotiated between doctor and patient, ultimately decided by the patient.
Thus in reality, cancer patients with higher educational levels have, on the whole, markedly longer survival times than those with lower levels. In the process of learning, patients not only overcome cancer phobia but also improve their judgment on medical issues, which greatly helps the final medical decision.
Now many developed countries have developed horticultural therapy; cancer patients participating in gardening have noticeably released their psychological pressure and improved their quality of life. Some sanatoria in developed countries even treat these as important alternative therapies; it is said that while greatly reducing medication, they also improve patients' quality of life and extend survival. These experiences are worth learning from. My own work pressure is actually also very high; in recent years I have thrown myself into gardening, growing flowers and vegetables. My personal experience is that these indeed can reduce my psychological pressure.
Both doctors and patients should pay attention to stress reduction. Cancer patients are easily emotional; at a different time of day their mood may improve. But doctors do not know whether a patient's emotionality will worsen or ease, so they are easily affected by the patient, becoming tense, anxious, and depressed. After all, the profession of doctor is special, carrying heavy responsibility, and in recent years the doctor-patient relationship has been tense; this charged atmosphere easily leads to misjudgments on both sides, resulting in unsatisfactory final treatment outcomes. Therefore both doctors and patients should have their own channels for stress relief and try to treat each other with the calmest possible mind.
Families should support patients in taking whatever measures they use to reduce their psychological pressure, even if bystanders think those measures are not good. For example, some families strongly oppose their sick relative believing in religion; this is not sensible. Religion exists for those who have religious needs; unless one has reached a desperate pass, it is hard to understand why most cancer patients have religious needs, and it is best not to impose one's own ideas on loved ones. I have seen many families who, while caring for patients with good intentions, end up increasing the patients' psychological pressure; this is mostly due to a lack of empathy.
Reducing cancer patients' cancer phobia (even some family members also have it) requires multi-party collaboration. Care from family and doctors, the patient's own self-rescue, and public-welfare support from society are all important. I hope that the cancer-patient community in our country will receive ever better care, and that cancer patients and the general public will understand cancer phobia, so as to create a favorable social atmosphere for patients with tolerance and kindness.