Cancer survivor. Benefits of thermal treatment

• P. Diestro ^[1]
  1. [1] Balneario Valle del Jerte, Valdastillas, Cáceres, España
• Localización: Boletín de la Sociedad Española de Hidrología Médica, ISSN 0214-2813, Nº. Extra 1, 2018, págs. 173-173
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • The current approach to cancer has resulted in prolonged survival thanks to the improvement of treatments and care. In Spain it is estimated that there are around 1,500,000 survivors and an increase of 50% is foreseen for the year 2020.

    According to the Cancer Institute of the United States, "when it comes to cancer, survival covers the physical, psychosocial and economic problems of cancer, from diagnosis to the end of life. It focuses on the health and life of a person with cancer beyond the phases of diagnosis and treatment. Survival includes matters related to the ability to obtain medical assistance, follow-up, attention to late effects of treatment, second primary cancers and quality of life. Relatives, friends and caregivers are also part of the survival experience. " The care of the survivors is one more stage of the continuous care of the oncological patient that, among other questions, involves the follow-up after the primary treatment, detection of second primary neoplasms or relapses, prevention and early treatment of alterations of the psychological state secondary to the cancer or its treatment. , monitoring of the complications of the treatment while it is being carried out and that persist after its completion, and of the later effects that manifest themselves later and that may affect different organs - accumulated organ toxicity - and tissues, generating aesthetic and functional consequences of different intensity and severity, as well as providing psychosocial support.

    In addition, survivors have a higher risk of suffering from other health problems such as obesity, heart failure, osteoporosis, high blood pressure, endocrinopathies or cognitive disorders. Obesity, which in turn, has been linked to an increased risk of recurrence and death in several types of cancer, such as breast, colorectal and prostate cancers.

    There is enough evidence of how lifestyle can influence the appearance and development of some tumors, but also how they can improve the quality of life during and after cancer treatments. Thermal and thalassotherapy centers can offer programs for the treatment of these second effects or "collateral damage", such as weight gain, asthenia, changes in the skin and mucous membranes or joint pain, including group behavior interventions, as well as education for health, to return to normalization and maintain a good quality of life.