Brenda Yufeh
22 April 2008
interview
Professor Anderson Sama Doh, Executive Secretary of Cameroon National Cancer Control Programme, explains how palliative care can help a patient.
What is the situation of cancer in Cameroon?
Cancer is a major public health problem. About 12,000 new cases of cancer patients are recorded yearly in Cameroon. In the world about 11 million people are suffering from cancer. For the time being 50 per cent of these patients are in developing countries and 50 per cent in developed countries. In a decade, it will be 35 per cent in developed countries and 65 per cent in developing countries. Developed countries are quite aware of the causes of cancer such as cigarette smoking.
Another distressing factor is that not only is the number of cancer patients increasing but that we see our patients late. More than 80 per cent of cancer patients go to hospitals at an advanced stage of the disease where cure can no longer be guaranteed. Cancer is a curable disease if it is diagnosed early. This can only happen through constant medical screening. When cancer is diagnosed at an advanced stage, all we can do is to palliate. This is to give the impression that not all patients should come for curative treatment but taken care to reduce their sufferings.
What is palliative care all about to a cancer patient?
When the disease is diagnosed at an advanced stage, the patient has certain complaints and we take care of these complaints. Palliative care is an approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing problems associated with life-threatening illness. When one is facing a serious illness, one needs relief. Relief from pain, stress or other symptoms, such as fatigue, nausea, loss of appetite and shortness of breath. One needs to better understand one's condition and choices for care.
One needs to improve one's ability to tolerate medical treatments to be able to carry on with everyday life. This is what palliative care can do for you. It is a treatment that associates many people not only medical doctors but family members as well. We take care of symptoms as they appear by identifying them and later find out the cost.
What is the cost of palliative treatment?
The cost will depend on the cost of the drugs, symptoms, etc.
What is particular about palliative care?
Palliative care can be applied to other chronic diseases such as HIV/AIDS and heart diseases. This is care given by family members and other people to patients who become very sick before they die.
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