Today is World Cancer Day. Supported by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC).
Everyone’s experience with cancer is unique. During treatment, your days become a whirlwind of clinical appointments, tests and medication. And while your body is on one rollercoaster, your mind is on another. There’s a lot to process and keep track of. Then there’s the network of people around you, uniting to provide much needed care and support. Family, friends, carers, nurses, consultants and supporting services. These exceptional people are the rocks of empathy, understanding and knowledge. They can be the difference between an Up Day and a down day.
On World Cancer Day, the UICC raises awareness and helps us to understand more about this complex disease. They also encourage us to take action and contribute to building a healthier and brighter future. The stats around cancer can seem daunting. One in two people in the UK will develop cancer at some point in their lives, according to Cancer Research UK. A staggering two million new cases are diagnosed in the UK and US every year, costing $895 billion. It’s challenging for patients and their families, and complex for clinicians who have, up to now, relied on in person methods of assessing patient wellbeing. This can often make it hard to judge the toll treatment is taking – which can lead to complications and delays.
The current Covid-19 pandemic has caused significant disruption in cancer care, with mounting pressure on everyone involved. Although receiving a cancer diagnosis is always daunting, it’s now even more isolating, with social distancing in place. To keep people safe and reduce hospital exposure, patients are being encouraged in many circumstances to self-manage at home. However, the pandemic has also acted as a catalyst, encouraging new ways of working, with many healthcare professionals adapting to the use of technology like telehealth. Supporting their patients remotely and connecting with them through digital technology is enabling continuity of care. It will provide a way for cancer services to scale effectively in the years to come.
Although this World Cancer Day is vastly different to last year’s, the mission remains the same - how can we reimagine a world where millions of preventable cancer deaths are saved? At Careology, we consistently ask ourselves a similar question - how can we help change the way people live and deal with cancer? Digital cancer care, like Careology, can connect the network supporting the patient and transform the delivery of care. We can empower patients to feel more involved and in control of their treatment. Aiding their memory and recall in between appointments. Whilst giving their loved ones and medical team the knowledge needed to provide the right support at the right time. Access to this health information, as well as journal entries and wellbeing measures enables better informed and more effective conversations, which we believe will positively impact the health outcomes of people living and dealing with cancer around the world.
Our mission is to transform traditional cancer care. We’re here to help people with cancer and those supporting them to make the down days more manageable – and the Up Days come more often.
To read more about World Cancer Day, please visit the UICC website.
