Fighting against cancer
If it is detected at an early stage, a cancer has maximum chances of healing – that’s what all oncologists say. But there are situations where advanced stage cancer can evolve better than one onset. For the time being, it is not known precisely why some patients survive more than others, given the precise diagnosis and the best treatment. In addition to complying with medical recommendations and genetic legacy, specialists mention good mood and medical confidence as important conditions for long-term healing.
“Probably the psyche is the most important aspect of long-term healing in cancer. I postponed the intervention for two patients because of this because they came to the operation with many questions, questions. And I spoke to them and I postponed the intervention. It is necessary for a patient to empty his mind of thoughts and fears and to believe in treatment. If patients are pushed back to treatment and do not believe in it, it will not work. A good psychic is very important: if a patient is stressed, the adrenal glands will secrete excess corticosteroids, which will affect healing. The most important thing is the perception of the disease. When I talk to students about prostate cancer, the first slide in the presentation is about perception. To be a good doctor, you must be everything for the patient, besides being an excellent surgeon”, says Prof. Dr. Saadettin Eskicorapci, one of the top uro-oncologists, a surgeon at the ACIBADEM Atakent University Hospital.
The doctor evaluates thousands of patients a year, and the most serious pathologies are in oncology, such as prostate, bladder, kidney, or testicular cancers. Depending on the situation, the multidisciplinary team led by Prof. Dr. Saadettin Eskicorapci recommends active monitoring or treatment that may consist of robotic surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy or targeted treatments. Besides, Professor Eskicorapci considers the discussions with patients and tips on a healthy lifestyle to be extremely important.
“As a doctor, you need to be connected to the patient’s needs. As I said, I talk to patients and try to offer some guidance in their life. Everyone has their own lifestyle and I recommend them to adopt the healthy life principles. For example, there is a reason why a patient has kidney cancer. There may be a weakening of the immune system due to some various causes, including stress. And that’s why we need to find the cause of stress, beyond surgery and treatments. Three months after the surgery, I talk to the patients when the healing process is over. And the cause of stress that can be in the family, or at work, can be managed. Also, they can quit smoking or change their home if a patient lives near a source of radiation or electromagnetic waves. But in order to find out the causes, we need to talk to the patients, because they often do not realize what could be the cause of the problems. If we do not do this, the patient will not be cured. And relapses may also occur because the conditions in which the disease may have occurred have not been changed. But if I do not find anything, I advise them to do meditation, yoga, canoeing. Rowing is a good exercise for the pelvic area, but also for socializing. Also, for prostate cancer patients, canoeing is good for sexual health, for erection, for incontinence, for socialization. We even have an ongoing study at a club of rowing, the results of which will be ready in 6 months. But the most important aspect remains socialization, which is extremely important after the end of cancer treatments”, adds ACIBADEM’s top doctor.
In addition to well-established and scientifically proven treatments, natural remedies circulate throughout the world, some of which promise results in treating cancers. They have no scientific support and not only do not have beneficial effects in cancer but can also negatively affect organs such as liver and kidney. Prof. Dr. Saadettin Eskicorapci believes that physicians should also have information on these alternative approaches in order to answer patients’ questions.
“We have to explain to patients what the limits of modern medicine are, we need to explain the scientific evidences to them. So, we need to know everything, we need to be better than Google. We have to be good scientists. If we respect these conditions, people will believe in us. And you have to talk to people about these alternative therapies, you need to know them. If you do not know anything about them, you can not make patients change their minds about using these therapies. And they will turn to them without any result. We need to know as much about the Cuba vaccine, about herbal remedies, about meditation. And we need to talk to patients about them. And in Turkiye, like all over the world, there are all sorts of alternative remedies and treatments. Most of the time, therapies such as the cannabis-based ones do not work, and we should explain this to the patient. You have to explain to the patient the scientific approaches, if any, and you must also say your opinion as a doctor. Then they decide what they want to do. But if they trust you, in most cases, they will do the right thing. I read a lot, I’m sitting on social networks, trying to find out more about these holistic approaches. This is in addition to information about specialist studies, professional guides, medicines and changes in uro-oncology. Because patients want and need to know everything”, says Prof. Dr. Saadettin Eskicorapci.
In terms of lifestyle, it is known that smoking cessation, local food diets, avoiding being sedentary, achieving optimal weight and reducing alcohol consumption can be allies to the body in dealing with serious illnesses.
“I recommend the patients the things I do. First of all, I recommend them a healthy diet, recommend them to eat less, eat local foods that are in harmony with the genetic heritage. I recommend regular exercise every day. Also, daily walking is very good, best for Homo sapiens. I walk every day, use a step-by-step monitoring application, and I also recommend it to patients to do so. We have to go at least 10 thousand steps a day. If the program can not be met one day, the number of steps must be recovered the next day. Another important aspect is social life: we must socialize, we must have a strong reason to live. There are studies on the long-lived populations of Japan and Italy in several villages, and the element that ensures longevity is socialization. Also, social involvement counts, we need to help those next to us. After I retire, I will still dedicate myself to cancer patients”, concludes the specialist.
