What can newly diagnosed colon cancer patients expect?
The moments following a cancer diagnosis can be confusing and full of emotion. Staying informed about your disease can help keep confusion to a minimum and reduce unnecessary emotional stress. Dr. Mark Gimbel has seen many newly diagnosed colon cancer patients that are looking for answers. Dr. Gimbel lets us know what it is he tells colon cancer patients who have recently received a colon cancer diagnosis.
For a colon cancer survivor’s advice for newly diagnosed colon cancer patients, watch “Advice for Newly Diagnosed Colon Cancer Patients” with Dan Clementi.
Video Transcripts
Mark Gimbel, MD: When I get a colon cancer patient who is newly diagnosed, most of the time there is a lot of fear that goes along with that diagnosis, and the patients are unsure what needs to be done. They know they have a cancer, they know they need surgery, but they really don’t know what is going to happen after that. So, when I first meet a patient, I try to allay their fears, telling them let’s take this stepwise, let’s first start with the surgery, then we can see if there is lymph nodes involved or not, if there are not lymph nodes then we feel good about that, we know the cancer has not spread. If there are lymph nodes, well that’s a little worse, but it doesn’t mean it’s a death sentence, it means that we just now have a little bit more work to do and then if the tumor has spread beyond the lymph nodes to a distant site, well there is still possibility of curing the patient. So, I feel addressing the patients’ fears ahead of time really helps me treat them better and helps the patient undergo treatment better.
Latest posts by Mark Gimbel (see all)
- What Are Some New Treatments for Colon Cancer? - January 1, 1970
- What to Look for in a Colon Cancer Surgeon? - January 1, 1970
- The Oncotype DX Test Helps Doctors Discuss Risk with Patients - January 1, 1970
