A year ago, Linh, 32, felt her life was falling apart when she was diagnosed with metastatic cancer on the day her son turned one year old.
Thuy Linh, in Dong Da, accidentally discovered unusual signs during a routine health check. Arriving at Hanoi Medical University Hospital, the doctor requested a biopsy. The result was thyroid papillary carcinoma, which had metastasized to the lymph nodes. The team asked her to be admitted to the hospital early for surgery and treatment of the tumor.
The bad news came to Linh on the day her son turned one year old. A woman drives around Hanoi in the early summer rain. Her heart broke as she imagined her child’s first day of school, graduation, or wedding without her mother.
The woman was devastated and could not accept that she had cancer because she believed that this was a disease of the elderly. Linh is a person with a healthy lifestyle, regularly exercising, eating lots of fiber, and limiting sugar and fast food. “It can’t be cancer, the doctor must have misdiagnosed it,” she told herself, going to three other hospitals to check again.
When receiving the same results, the woman once again collapsed because the financial burden of cancer treatment was too great. The doctor advised her to use targeted medicine, but the cost is up to hundreds of millions of dong, even billions, while health insurance does not support it because this is a new medicine.
“I still have elderly parents in the countryside, so I have to help them financially. My salary is only enough to eat, the house is still rented, I have small children, my career is unfinished,” she said, adding that it was difficult to accept the prospect of having a father. The silver-haired mother went to the hospital to take care of her blue-headed child. “At this age, my responsibility is to be filial to my parents, but my illness makes me a burden to my parents,” Linh said.
Young people face many challenges when suffering from cancer. Image: Theo Cambridge today
Similarly, Hai Anh, a marketing employee, was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer at the age of 30, requiring surgery and chemotherapy. Growing up in a family of divorced parents, he longed to find a suitable partner, get married and have children. When the bad news came, she was devastated not only because she got sick at a young age, but her dream of having her own family was also shattered.
“Is there any man who would accept a partner with cancer and a defective body?” the woman said, adding that before chemotherapy, the doctor advised her to preserve her ovaries and possibly do artificial insemination ( IVF) if desired. However, even when she gives birth alone, she still has to face the possibility that cancer may return. On the other hand, the cost of preserving eggs can reach hundreds of millions of dong while Hai Anh’s income is only enough to live, not to mention the cost of medicine, food… for cancer treatment.
“While my friends got promoted, got married, and achieved success in society, I endured my pain with hair falling out in patches and nausea from morning to night due to side effects of chemotherapy. quality,” the woman shared.
Cancer was once considered a disease of old age, but a 2020 study led by scientists at the Pennsylvania Cancer Institute found that the incidence of all cancers in the 15-40 age group increased by 30 % since the 1970s. Recent research in BMJ Oncology shows a 79% increase in new cases in this group over the past three decades. In the US alone, the number of new cancer cases diagnosed in people 18-40 years old is 3.26 million, of which the most common are breast, lung, intestinal and stomach cancers… Currently, Vietnam does not have a system Accurate statistics on the number of young people with cancer, but hospitals record that this group of patients is increasing.
Doctor Ngo Van Ty, Department of Oncology, Hanoi Medical University Hospital, said diagnosing cancer is “hell” at any age, but the challenge people under 40 years old face will be especially difficult. . Because the disease can destroy the career prospects, reputation or happiness of the generation that is entering the most productive period of life. Other groups carry the burden of unfinished work and finances, small children, and elderly parents who need care. For unmarried people, complications such as having to have their breasts, uterus, ovaries removed, wearing a colostomy, etc. make them feel guilty and withdraw from society.
A study at the National University of Singapore (NUS) of more than 20,000 young cancer patients, found that this group has a higher risk of depression, anxiety and other mental health illnesses throughout their lives. , even after the cancer has gone into remission, especially in the 30 and 25 year old age group. Particularly, children aged 15 to 19 years old are often at higher risk of suicide.
Another study found that young cancer survivors had a higher risk of 24 health problems, including heart failure, kidney and liver disease, hearing loss, and even stroke. They also face unique challenges in their studies and careers, as well as experience the stress of constantly checking to see if the cancer has returned, or if the malignancies are causing other diseases. According to the American Cancer Society, radiation kills cancer cells and shrinks tumors, but they can also increase the risk of developing leukemia, breast, lung and pancreatic cancer.
In addition to physical and mental challenges, cost concerns can also weigh heavily on younger patients, who do not have as many assets and savings as older people. Many new drugs cost more than 100 million VND per dose, up to billions for the whole process. Health insurance does not cover it, making it difficult for patients to buy it, meaning they accept losing their chance to live.
Given these difficulties, doctors say it is important for patients not to neglect their mental health because studies have shown a correlation between positive psychology and better survival. Specifically, positive psychology and spirit will directly impact compliance with treatment methods as well as follow-up visits with doctors, building a healthy lifestyle, helping to improve quality of life. In addition, if patients are too stressed, they can find psychologists to receive therapy using techniques such as acceptance and commitment, helping patients let go of worries and focus on the present.
On the other hand, to reduce confusion, doctors always prioritize careful explanations of medical knowledge related to their disease. For example, what are the side effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy on fertility? What will be the consequences of treatments at age 20-30 at age 50-60 and how to prevent them? Even if the cancer goes away, do they need regular screening? When cancer returns, they need to have strategies to cope.
Like patient Linh, Dr. Ty encouraged her to treat her because many cases were detected early, with the right doctor, and with the right medication, prolonging her life and even curing her illness. In case of recurrence after 5 years, if detected early, the patient can participate in clinical trials or new more potential drugs, prolonging time and quality of life.
“We always prioritize counseling and mental care for patients right from the time of medical examination, to alleviate psychological and disease pressure,” the doctor said, in addition to finding a cure for the disease. Surname.
The Ministry of Health is amending, supplementing and updating the list of drugs, medical supplies, and traditional medicine to ensure the rights and benefits of health insurance card holders. Thus, in the near future, if cancer treatment drugs are covered by health insurance, doctors will use the best therapies to treat patients.
To prevent cancer, young people need to have a healthy lifestyle, increase exercise and balanced nutrition. Exercise at least 30 minutes a day to increase the body’s resistance. Limiting alcohol and not smoking can also reduce the risk of disease. Avoid eating a lot of fat, spices or moldy foods; Increase fruits, vegetables and vitamins. Vaccination prevents some infections such as hepatitis B and C and HPV vaccination prevents cervical cancer.
If your family has a father or brother with colon or stomach cancer or a mother, aunt or aunt with breast cancer, you need to get screened early. This is a group that has a higher risk of cancer than other people. The time to screen for cancer is after age 30. Obese people have a higher risk of various types of cancer than normal people and are the cause of about 20% of esophageal, stomach, colorectal, and liver cancers. , ovarian, postmenopausal breast cancer.