The Shared Decision Making should be pursued to optimize patient's care. Physician's technical recommendation has to be fully understood by the patient. Patient's compliance should always be preceded by a written informed consent. Browsing the following links you will better understand cancer epidemiology, a tutorial will show you the physician's rational in dealing with cancer diagnosis and treatment and an algorithm will illustrate all the steps involved in a Comprehensive Cancer Evaluation.
World epidemiological data indicate cancer as a very common disease. The International Agency for Cancer Register (IARC) has systematically published relevant data on cancer incidence and prevalence in more than 180 countries worldwide. The latest release of Globocan pointed out to 14 million new cases of cancer diagnosed in the world, annually. The cancer lifespan cumulative incidence reaches one third of the women and almost 50% of the men world population. Despite the high incidence, you should not be afraid of cancer. It could be avoided, it could be early diagnosed and it could be efficiently treated. Outcome statistical data shows that 65% of all identified cases could be cured, when treated in qualified centers. This percentage increases in parallel to early detection. Education is the main intervention for early diagnosis, further increasing cure rate.
The Tutorial is a pedagogical tool used to inform the patient about the steps of care in cancer diagnosis and treatment. When browsing through the tutorial, you will better understand how doctors work. The tutorial opens for you the world of Medicine. Although been self-explanatory it is recommended to share the tutorial information with your doctor. Health education is part of your treatment.
The Algorithm shows the interfaces enrolled in a Comprehensive Cancer Evaluation. It shows the main information that should be included into the Medical Report. After login the patient will be accompanied and instructed about the relevance of each of these actions and will feel more confident to engage himself in a sharing decision-making.