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Hepatitis C Support vs. Cancer Support
What differences do you see between support for Hepatitis C Treatment and Cancer treatment?
Support for Hepatitis C Treatment and Cancer treatment - my experience:
For Hepatitis C tx - I have a Specialist Hepatitis C nurse who is seeing me regularly, every 2 weeks to start with and monthly after that. She is monitoring weekly/monthly my blood tests. I have her mobile number and I can call her anytime I need to. She is communicating with me weekly and informs me of the blood results as she knows that this will keep my anxiety in place. She contacts any other specialists as needed if I do have any major side effects.
I do not treat for cancer (non liver cancer in my case) at present and I hope I will never have to. But with cancer tx - it seems that we have lots of support groups. There is a Cancer society, they do free stress control courses, free counseling and they will have volunteers to stay with people during their chemo sessions. They have a special hotel across the hospital for people coming out of town for chemo.
For hep C - nothing. It might be a different condition but basic issues are the same. Unfortunately there is no support to deal with stress and anxiety for people treating HCV. HCV tx can be debilitating for some people and there is not much support to deal with that
For Hepatitis C tx - I have a Specialist Hepatitis C nurse who is seeing me regularly, every 2 weeks to start with and monthly after that. She is monitoring weekly/monthly my blood tests. I have her mobile number and I can call her anytime I need to. She is communicating with me weekly and informs me of the blood results as she knows that this will keep my anxiety in place. She contacts any other specialists as needed if I do have any major side effects.
I do not treat for cancer (non liver cancer in my case) at present and I hope I will never have to. But with cancer tx - it seems that we have lots of support groups. There is a Cancer society, they do free stress control courses, free counseling and they will have volunteers to stay with people during their chemo sessions. They have a special hotel across the hospital for people coming out of town for chemo.
For hep C - nothing. It might be a different condition but basic issues are the same. Unfortunately there is no support to deal with stress and anxiety for people treating HCV. HCV tx can be debilitating for some people and there is not much support to deal with that
You ask about treatments differences....
Most people with chronic hep C don't have extensive liver disease and can go to a gastroenterologist and get the appropriate treatment which is some combination of drugs they take for a number of months to cure themselves of the virus. Most patients can now be cured before developing advanced liver disease. Once the virus is cured it no longer damages the liver and the liver heals itself.
Liver cancer (HCC) usually develops in patients with cirrhosis. The only cure for a cirrhotic with liver cancer is a liver transplant. The cancer must be removed from the body while the cancer remains in the liver. HCC requires treatments to manage it so the patient can survive until they can get a transplant. Treatment is not curative it only buys the patient time. I won't go into all the types of treatments as it is only of interest to those with liver cancer. I think it is common knowledge that cancer treatments are serious life saving treatments. They are performed by the Interventional Radiology department at liver transplant centers only. There is no drug treatment a person can take to cure liver cancer as with hepatitis C. HCC requires a team of doctors to go into the liver to treat the cancer tumor there. That is why the cost of one typical liver cancer treatment is $50,000 or more.
I hope this answers your question about the difference between treating two very different medical conditions.
Hector
Most people with chronic hep C don't have extensive liver disease and can go to a gastroenterologist and get the appropriate treatment which is some combination of drugs they take for a number of months to cure themselves of the virus. Most patients can now be cured before developing advanced liver disease. Once the virus is cured it no longer damages the liver and the liver heals itself.
Liver cancer (HCC) usually develops in patients with cirrhosis. The only cure for a cirrhotic with liver cancer is a liver transplant. The cancer must be removed from the body while the cancer remains in the liver. HCC requires treatments to manage it so the patient can survive until they can get a transplant. Treatment is not curative it only buys the patient time. I won't go into all the types of treatments as it is only of interest to those with liver cancer. I think it is common knowledge that cancer treatments are serious life saving treatments. They are performed by the Interventional Radiology department at liver transplant centers only. There is no drug treatment a person can take to cure liver cancer as with hepatitis C. HCC requires a team of doctors to go into the liver to treat the cancer tumor there. That is why the cost of one typical liver cancer treatment is $50,000 or more.
I hope this answers your question about the difference between treating two very different medical conditions.
Hector
I assume you are speaking of liver cancer (HCC) which can develop out of cirrhosis caused by hepatitis C and other condition that cause cirrhosis?
By support do you mean peer support groups or medical support?
Hepatitis C and HCC are two entirely different medical condition. One is a virus the other a form of cancer. They have different affects on the body, cause different symptoms and have different prognosis. No one has ever died of hepatitis C itself. It is the liver disease caused by the virus over many decades that can be deadly. Millions have died from cancers and cancer can kill very rapiditly. So the only relationship is that chronic hepatitis C infection can cause progressive liver disease and cirrhosis. In the US most cases of liver cancer (HCC) develop in patients with cirrhosis. In other parts of the world particularly Asia and Africa hepatitis B and other conditions cause the majority of cases of liver cancer. About half a million die from liver cancer each year world-wide.
The vast majority of cirrhotics do not develop HCC so it is not something they need to address in a peer support group. Since about 1/2 of patients awaiting liver transplant have hepatitis C that subject can only be discussed on a basic level also.
Patients with chronic hepatitis C should seek out a hepatitis C peer support group if they want to discuss and share their experience with others who also have hepatitis C.
Medically cirrhotics on transplant waiting lists require monitoring for indications of HCC every six months because of the increase risk of developing HCC especially in hepatitis C caused cirrhosis. Also a patient with HCC requires expertise and support from other specialists that patients with hepatitis C and liver disease don't. The Oncology and the Interventional Radiology departments.
People with HCC and are listed for transplant because of their liver cancer (they have MELD cancer exception points) and not their liver disease, have more in common with others who are dealing with cancers at least psychologically. The nature of cancer including the possibility of death is a major concern and focus of cancer support groups. Of course every type of cancer has its own medical particulars including diagnoses and treatment but the impact it has on people's sense of well-being being is universal.
Medically the only cure for HCC in a patient with cirrhosis is a liver transplant.
A typical liver transplant support group can not focus with any depth on issues that liver cancer patients deal with because most group members do not have liver cancer and are focused on how to live with their progressive liver disease which has its own complication and symptoms that patients with HCC don't usually suffer with to the degree liver patients do. That is until they become terminal and then they develop symptoms. Normally patients with HCC have class A cirrhosis and have no symptoms at all unlike patients with End-Stage Liver Disease await transplant.
I would suggest anyone with primary liver cancer seek peer support in a liver cancer group or in a general cancer support group. These are the only ones who will understand what you go through living with cancer.
Hector
By support do you mean peer support groups or medical support?
Hepatitis C and HCC are two entirely different medical condition. One is a virus the other a form of cancer. They have different affects on the body, cause different symptoms and have different prognosis. No one has ever died of hepatitis C itself. It is the liver disease caused by the virus over many decades that can be deadly. Millions have died from cancers and cancer can kill very rapiditly. So the only relationship is that chronic hepatitis C infection can cause progressive liver disease and cirrhosis. In the US most cases of liver cancer (HCC) develop in patients with cirrhosis. In other parts of the world particularly Asia and Africa hepatitis B and other conditions cause the majority of cases of liver cancer. About half a million die from liver cancer each year world-wide.
The vast majority of cirrhotics do not develop HCC so it is not something they need to address in a peer support group. Since about 1/2 of patients awaiting liver transplant have hepatitis C that subject can only be discussed on a basic level also.
Patients with chronic hepatitis C should seek out a hepatitis C peer support group if they want to discuss and share their experience with others who also have hepatitis C.
Medically cirrhotics on transplant waiting lists require monitoring for indications of HCC every six months because of the increase risk of developing HCC especially in hepatitis C caused cirrhosis. Also a patient with HCC requires expertise and support from other specialists that patients with hepatitis C and liver disease don't. The Oncology and the Interventional Radiology departments.
People with HCC and are listed for transplant because of their liver cancer (they have MELD cancer exception points) and not their liver disease, have more in common with others who are dealing with cancers at least psychologically. The nature of cancer including the possibility of death is a major concern and focus of cancer support groups. Of course every type of cancer has its own medical particulars including diagnoses and treatment but the impact it has on people's sense of well-being being is universal.
Medically the only cure for HCC in a patient with cirrhosis is a liver transplant.
A typical liver transplant support group can not focus with any depth on issues that liver cancer patients deal with because most group members do not have liver cancer and are focused on how to live with their progressive liver disease which has its own complication and symptoms that patients with HCC don't usually suffer with to the degree liver patients do. That is until they become terminal and then they develop symptoms. Normally patients with HCC have class A cirrhosis and have no symptoms at all unlike patients with End-Stage Liver Disease await transplant.
I would suggest anyone with primary liver cancer seek peer support in a liver cancer group or in a general cancer support group. These are the only ones who will understand what you go through living with cancer.
Hector
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