Cancer – a chronic disease

Abstract

Due to multimodal oncological therapy concepts, targeted therapies, a growing portfolio of systemic treatment options and interdisciplinary discussions, the former life threatening disease»cancer«, leading to death very quickly, is becoming a more and more chronical illness. Even in metastatic stadium, local ablative treatments such as resection of metastasis, radiofrequency ablation etc. or the sequential application of different systemic therapies result in long-term survival for many years or even decades for a considerable number of patients. But this gain in lifetime also has its price to pay. Acute toxicities sum up due to the combination of several treatment modalities. Chronic toxicities and side effects during long-term therapies such as chemotherapy-related fatigue, chemobrain or polyneuropathy, adversely affect the daily life of our patients. Physical sequelae however result in psychosocial consequential losses and needs: continuing psychological distress from sleep disorders, non-functioning, sexual disability, loss of activity and performance, emotional burdens, relationship difficulties, financial and existential aspects and last but not least fear of recurrence or progression respectively. It is our task and an obligation to focus on these problems and to provide help, for fulfilling the gained lifetime of our patients with quality of life.