The general director of the National Federation of Associations for the Fight Against Kidney Diseases (ALCER), Juan Carlos Julián, has pointed out that more than 90 percent of people with kidney cancer experience emotional difficulties, so having coping strategies is key to improving their quality of life.
Coinciding with World Kidney Cancer Day, which this Thursday focuses on the psychological well-being of those living with the disease, Ipsen, together with ALCER and the Spanish Genitourinary Oncology Group Foundation (SOGUG), has presented the "Guide to accompany patients and families in coping with kidney cancer."
This document gathers practical and accessible information on the most frequent emotional reactions, proposes guidelines for managing moments of greatest difficulty, suggests ways of communication with the close environment, and offers resources to protect emotional well-being throughout the entire process, from the initial impact of the diagnosis and the uncertainty it generates, to how to face treatment.
"The impact of the diagnosis is very personal in each individual and results in an emotional mix where one can feel a shock or emotional anesthesia; hyperactivation or even disconnection responses as a defense mechanism. This emotional mix usually evolves into an experience of fear that connects the person with uncertainty," detailed Dr. Helena García, a Clinical and Health Psychologist and psycho-oncologist at the Cardenal Cisneros Center for Higher Studies (UCM).
The expert, who participated as an advisor in the preparation of the guide, emphasized that "emotions are neither good nor bad" and that the patient's emotional experience is part of an "adaptation process to the disease that has to be triggered and that occurs with these intense emotional reactions."
In this regard, she highlighted the value of the guide, with a strong psychoeducational and cost-effective character, which she believes "can greatly help patients and families who have to face such a "threatening" situation, especially in the first moments, such as a diagnosis of kidney cancer.
The patient Antonio Lagares, who has collaborated in the review of the text, has agreed on the relevance of this type of materials, considering them a source of information "useful, simple, and close". In his opinion, these guides and the support of so-called expert patients "should be much more integrated and widespread in hospitals".
"The guide we present today addresses an aspect of the disease that, until now, had received little attention and which we consider essential: emotional management. With this publication, we complete a series of resources that includes the guides on nutrition and physical exercise developed in previous years together with ALCER and SOGUG," said the general director of Ipsen Iberia, Gabriel Galván.