
HOSPICE KLANG
PT140457, Persiaran Delima / KS 09,
Kota Bayu Emas, 41200 Klang, Selangor
Tel: 33184774, 016-7093075 Fax: 33194664
Email: hpsklang@gmail.com

Frequent Questions - when diagnosed with Cancer
Usual questions asked -
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where is the cancer
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how much cancer is present
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how aggressive is the cancer
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how far the cancer has spread
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how has the cancer affected the patient's physical condition.
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whether there is any effective treatment for the cancer
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what is the cost of treatment - surgery, DXRT, chemotherapy, "new" drugs.
And common medical terms used to describe cancer -
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primary - where the cancer arises from
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metastases - where the cancer has spread
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stage - how far the cancer has spread (e.g. stage 4 - widespread)
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low malignancy - less aggressive, takes a long time to reach an a advanced stage
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high malignancy - aggressive, disease rapidly reaches a terminal stage
Medical terms are usually confusing to the lay person, and very often cause misunderstanding of the disease, treatment options and prognosis.
Ultimately what's most important to a patient newly diagnosed with cancer is -
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Is the cancer "treatable" in its present stage.
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If "treatment" is possible, what are the expected results of treatment in terms of life span and quality of life. And also what are the side effects of treatment
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If "treatment" is not possible (or the patient does not want treatment), what will happen with respect to life span and quality of life. (i.e. pain and other sufferings)