When a person receives a cancer diagnosis for the first time, their initial thoughts are sure to lead to a storm of questions and more questions. Assimilating news of this caliber is not easy, it can cause a lot of anxiety and fear. In addition to having a comprehensive evaluation, people need to find a professional they trust and with whom they can talk about important aspects that, many times, will change their lives.
As explained by Dr. Adolfo de la Fuente, head of the Hematology and Hemotherapy Service at MD Anderson Cancer Center Madrid-Hospiten, when faced with a diagnosis of this type, particularly if we are talking about leukemia, lymphoma or multiple myeloma, “the Life changes” and everything becomes much more relativized. Go beyond medical treatment, “being able to offer the time, both to the person and the family environment, to be able to clarify what the situation is that we are facing or what the plan is going to be to help the person, to what extent they will change your life or whether you will be able to continue with your daily life” becomes a priority.
Second opinions that can change lives
Medical advances and updated treatment protocols, based on scientific evidence, must go hand in hand with the care of the person to help them “better understand how they will have to face the situation and team up with it,” he says. From the Source. The objective is to soften the complexity of these diseases, which have a series of subtypes that make the needs of each person tremendously different in terms of their management because “the behavior is totally different in terms of aggressiveness, prognosis and treatment needs,” he acknowledges. the doctor
In the quest to find all the answers, and faced with a barrage of information and options that are often difficult to process, it is also the time when many people need to take another more important step in their fight against cancer: ask for a second opinion, especially for people with some type of onco-hematological tumor.
Perhaps due to an instinct to get to the bottom of things, or to feel some discomfort with a cancer prognosis, the reasons that drive or lead someone to seek a second medical opinion can be various. The Hematology and Hemotherapy Service of MD Anderson Madrid – Hospiten, aware of the importance of this assistance and help, has an important track record and professionalism in this field in order for people to be more informed and confident in their choice of treatment. that they must follow.
For De la Fuente, it is key to seek a second opinion due to the importance of a diagnosis of this type, “if only to confirm that the path that has been taken is the correct one.” A second opinion can confirm or open new management options that, perhaps, may be more appropriate and, therefore, bring us closer to more convenient decisions. It is also key to normalize the search for medical opinions to have new therapeutic options and let the person decide.
Despite the benefits of asking for a second opinion, some studies suggest that the number of people with cancer who seek one is still a minority. Most, when they do, it is to reassure themselves or to make sure they have covered all treatment options, not out of discomfort or distrust in the doctor.
Precise, specialized and multidisciplinary diagnoses
But care for a complicated disease does not end here, in which treatments are constantly evolving and a more individualized approach is necessary, and all of this makes oncological care more complex. To respond to all the needs that arise, MD Anderson Madrid – Hospiten has multidisciplinary units whose main objective is that “everything is done with minimal side effects, which translates into higher possibilities of success, with a minor negative impact,” says De la Fuente.
The commitment to multidisciplinary work makes it possible for the same case to have the joint vision of numerous specialists, from hematologists, experts in diagnostic cytology, pathologists and radiologists, among others, who maintain a close relationship to ensure that the treatment is successful.
And, despite all the advances that occur, the same technology and treatment options are not always found. For this reason, and in order to publicize the different progress in this field, the holding of meetings such as the Update Congress on the treatment of acute leukemia, organized by MD Anderson Madrid – Hospiten under the direction of Dr. De la Fuente and which brings together all the professionals involved, are essential to “share and put all this new evidence on the table and offer improvements in terms of treatment possibilities to patients,” says the doctor.
In line with the work carried out by multidisciplinary units such as that of the aforementioned hospital, the final objective is “to put people at the center and offer them the best treatment option,” De la Fuente clarifies.
Leukemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma: progress and hopes
The steps that have been taken in research to understand how diseases such as leukemia or lymphoma work have led to new and promising strategies. When leukemia or lymphoma appears, two things happen. On the one hand, an abnormal compartment of the cells that constitute the disease occurs with their disordered growth. On the other hand, the body’s control mechanisms have failed to identify this as abnormal.
One of the latest strategies developed is CAR-T therapy, which “uses the person’s own lymphocytes and modifies them so that they recognize the disease as a problem,” admits De la Fuente. Therefore, “using the person’s own T lymphocytes, they are modified so that they recognize, in a targeted manner, the disease as something that should not be there and, therefore, eliminate the disease,” explains the doctor. The importance of this finding is that the manipulation of these lymphocytes, instead of tolerating the disease, recognizes it as a problem.
Despite this good news, and although it is developed for certain types of lymphomas, for multiple myeloma and for a subtype of acute leukemia, “it has its complexity and is not available for everything. We hope that in the near future it will change,” says De la Fuente.
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