When a person is first diagnosed with cancer, their first thoughts are sure to lead to a storm of questions and even more questions. Assimilating news of this magnitude is not easy, it can cause a lot of anxiety and fear. In addition to having a comprehensive assessment, people need to find a professional they trust and with whom they can talk about important aspects that will often change their lives.
As explained by Dr. Adolfo de la Fuente, head of the Hematology and Hemotherapy Department at MD Anderson Cancer Center Madrid-Hospiten, when faced with a diagnosis of this type, especially if it is leukemia, lymphoma or multiple myeloma, “Life changes” and everything becomes much more relativized. Going beyond medical treatment, “being able to offer time, both to the person and to their family environment, to be able to clarify what is the situation we are facing or what the plan will be to help the person, “how much they will change your life or whether you will be able to continue 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 work together,” says- he. . The goal is to alleviate the complexity of these diseases, which have a series of subtypes that make each person’s needs extremely different in terms of management, because “the behavior is totally different in terms of aggressiveness, prognosis and therapeutic needs,” he says. recognizes the doctor.
In their quest for all the answers and faced with an avalanche of information and options that are often difficult to process, this is also the time when many people must take another, more important step in their fight against cancer: seeking a second opinion, especially for people with a certain type of onco-hematological tumor.
Perhaps out of an instinct to get to the bottom of things, or out of a feeling of discomfort with the prognosis of cancer, the reasons that push or lead someone to seek a second medical opinion can be diverse. The Hematology and Hemotherapy Department of MD Anderson Madrid – Hospiten, aware of the importance of this assistance and help, has significant experience and professionalism in this area so that people are more informed and more confident in the choice of treatment. must follow.
For De la Fuente, it is essential to seek a second opinion because of the importance of a diagnosis of this type, “if only to confirm that the path taken is the right one”. A second opinion can confirm or open up new management options that, perhaps, could be more appropriate and, therefore, bring us closer to more practical decisions. It is also essential to standardize the search for medical advice to have new therapeutic options and let the person decide.
Despite the benefits of seeking a second opinion, some studies suggest that the number of people with cancer who seek one is still in the minority. Most of the time when they do this, it is for reassurance or to make sure they have covered all treatment options, not out of discomfort or distrust of the doctor.
Precise, specialized and multidisciplinary diagnoses
But the management of a complex disease does not stop there, in which treatments are constantly evolving and require a more individualized approach, which makes oncological management more complex. To meet all the needs that arise, MD Anderson Madrid – Hospiten has multidisciplinary units whose main objective is that “everything is done with a minimum of side effects, which translates into greater chances of success , with a minor negative impact,” explains De la Fuente. .
Engaging in multidisciplinary work allows for the same case to have the common vision of numerous specialists, hematologists, experts in diagnostic cytology, pathologists and radiologists, among others, who maintain a close relationship to guarantee the success of the treatment.
And despite all the progress made, we do not always find the same technologies and treatment options. For this reason, and in order to publicize the various advances in this area, holding meetings such as the Update Congress on the Treatment of Acute Leukemia, organized by MD Anderson Madrid – Hospital 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”, believes the doctor.
Continuing the work carried out by multidisciplinary units like that of the aforementioned hospital, the final objective is to “put the person at the center and offer them the best treatment option,” says De la Fuente.
Leukemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma: progress and hopes
Steps taken in research to understand how diseases such as leukemia or lymphoma work have led to new and promising strategies. When leukemia or lymphoma develops, two things happen. On the one hand, an abnormal compartment of cells that constitute the disease occurs with their disordered growth. On the other hand, the body’s control mechanisms failed to identify this as abnormal.
One of the latest strategies being 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. Thus, “with the help of the person’s own T cells, they are modified in such a way that they specifically recognize the disease as something that should not be there and, therefore, eliminate the disease,” explains the doctor . The importance of this finding is that manipulating these lymphocytes, instead of tolerating the disease, recognizes it as a problem.
Despite this good news, and although it is being 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 this will change in the near future,” says De la Fuente.
