Standardize treatment and rehabilitation

Standardized Treatment

Establishment of treatment principles

Multidisciplinary collaboration: The standardized treatment of cancer emphasizes the multidisciplinary team (MDT) model, involving experts from various fields such as oncology, surgery, radiotherapy, imaging, and pathology. Based on comprehensive factors including the type, stage, and physical condition of the patient, an individualized treatment plan that is most suitable for the patient is formulated. For example, for patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer, the MDT team will assess factors such as tumor size, location, and the patient's cardiopulmonary function to determine whether to adopt surgical resection, stereotactic radiotherapy, or other treatment methods.

Adhering to guidelines and norms: Doctors must strictly follow authoritative cancer treatment guidelines and norms such as the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines and the Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology (CSCO) guidelines. These guidelines are based on a large amount of clinical research evidence and provide clear recommendations for treatment methods, drug selection, and dosage for different types and stages of cancer, ensuring the scientific and effective nature of the treatment.

Implementation of treatment methods

Surgical treatment: For many early-stage cancers, surgery is the main treatment method, achieving radical cure by completely removing tumor tissue. During the surgery, doctors must follow the no-tumor principle to prevent the dissemination and implantation of tumor cells and preserve the function of normal tissues and organs as much as possible to improve the postoperative quality of life of the patient. For example, in breast cancer surgery, breast-conserving surgery is performed while removing the tumor, which minimizes the impact on the patient's psychology and life.

Radiotherapy: Utilizing high-energy rays to kill cancer cells, it can be used for preoperative tumor shrinkage, postoperative adjuvant treatment to reduce the risk of local recurrence, or palliative treatment for patients with advanced-stage cancer who are not suitable for surgery. Precise radiotherapy techniques such as intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and proton and heavy ion therapy can more precisely focus the rays on the tumor site, reducing damage to surrounding normal tissues.

Chemotherapy: Using cytotoxic drugs to kill cancer cells, it can be classified as preoperative neoadjuvant chemotherapy, postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy, and palliative chemotherapy for advanced-stage patients. Doctors need to select appropriate chemotherapy drugs and regimens based on the patient's condition and physical tolerance, and pay attention to preventing and handling chemotherapy-related adverse reactions such as nausea, vomiting, and bone marrow suppression.

Targeted therapy and immunotherapy: Targeting specific molecular targets or immune checkpoints of tumor cells for treatment, they have advantages such as strong specificity, good efficacy, and relatively small side effects. However, it requires screening for suitable patients through genetic testing and other means to ensure the effectiveness and safety of the treatment. For example, targeted drugs such as gefitinib and erlotinib for EGFR gene mutations in non-small cell lung cancer, and immune checkpoint inhibitors such as pembrolizumab and nivolumab, have achieved significant therapeutic effects in tumor treatment.

Impact on survival rate of cancer patients

Breast cancer

According to data from the American Cancer Society, if patients with early-stage breast cancer receive standardized comprehensive treatment including surgery, adjuvant chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, the 5-year survival rate can reach over 90%. In contrast, non-standardized treatment may reduce the 5-year survival rate to around 60% - 70%.

A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine followed up on 1,000 breast cancer patients for a long time and found that patients who received standardized multidisciplinary comprehensive treatment had a 20% - 30% higher 10-year disease-free survival rate than those who did not receive standardized treatment.

Lung cancer

For early-stage non-small cell lung cancer, standardized surgical resection combined with necessary adjuvant treatment can achieve a 5-year survival rate of 70% - 80%. If the treatment is not standardized, such as only performing symptomatic treatment without radical surgery, the 5-year survival rate may be lower than 30%. · A retrospective study in China analyzed 5,000 lung cancer patients. The results showed that for patients with locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer who received standardized radiotherapy and chemotherapy, the median survival period could reach 20 - 30 months, while for those who did not receive standardized treatment, the median survival period was only 10 - 15 months.  

 Colorectal cancer

For patients with early colorectal cancer, through standardized surgical resection combined with postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy and other treatments, the 5-year survival rate can reach about 90%. If the treatment is not standardized, the 5-year survival rate may drop to 40% - 50%.  large-scale clinical study in Europe analyzed 2,000 colorectal cancer patients and found that patients who followed the standardized treatment path had a 30% - 40% higher 5-year survival rate than those who did not follow it, and the local recurrence rate was reduced by 15% - 20%.

Gastric cancer

For early gastric cancer, through standardized radical surgery combined with postoperative adjuvant treatment, the 5-year survival rate can reach 70% - 90%. If the treatment is not standardized, the 5-year survival rate may only be 30% - 50%.  A study in Japan conducted statistics on 3,000 gastric cancer patients and found that patients who received standardized D2 lymph node dissection surgery and postoperative standardized treatment had a 25% - 35% higher 5-year survival rate than those who did not receive standardized treatment.

Rehabilitation

Physical rehabilitation

Nutritional support: Cancer patients often experience malnutrition during treatment, so nutritional support is crucial. Based on the patient's condition and dietary situation, develop individualized nutritional plans, including oral nutritional supplements, enteral nutrition or parenteral nutrition, to ensure that patients consume sufficient protein, calories, vitamins and minerals, promote physical recovery, and improve immunity.

Exercise rehabilitation: Encourage patients to engage in appropriate exercise when their physical condition permits, such as walking, yoga, Tai Chi, etc. Exercise can enhance physical fitness, improve cardiopulmonary function, improve muscle strength and joint range of motion, reduce fatigue, and improve quality of life. The intensity and duration of exercise should be gradually increased based on the patient's specific condition to avoid overexertion.

Symptom management: Pay attention to various symptoms after treatment, such as pain, fatigue, insomnia, lymphedema, etc., and manage them effectively. Through drug treatment, physical therapy, psychological intervention and other comprehensive methods, symptoms can be relieved, and patients' comfort can be improved. For example, for lymphedema after breast cancer surgery, pressure treatment, rehabilitation training and other methods can be used to alleviate it.

Psychological rehabilitation

Psychological assessment: Regularly assess patients' psychological status and needs, such as whether they have emotional problems like anxiety, depression, fear, etc. Common assessment tools include Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Symptom Checklist 90 (SCL-90), etc.

Psychological intervention: Based on the assessment results, provide targeted psychological intervention measures for patients, such as psychological counseling, psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, etc. Help patients correctly understand cancer, adjust their mindset, cope with various pressures brought by the disease, and enhance treatment confidence. At the same time, encourage patients to participate in cancer rehabilitation groups to exchange experiences with other patients and support each other.

Social rehabilitation

Return to work and social life: Encourage patients to return to work and social life as soon as possible when their physical and mental conditions permit, to restore normal social activities and interpersonal relationships. This helps patients regain the meaning and value of life, improve self-identity and social belonging.

Family support: Emphasize the important role of family in the rehabilitation process of patients. Family members should give patients sufficient care, understanding and support, help patients solve difficulties in life, and create a good rehabilitation environment.