Moving Forward After Breast Cancer: A New Resource To Support Patients After Treatment

Breast Cancer Care has launched Moving Forward, a new, free resource pack aimed at people who have been through treatment for breast cancer.



The support charity recognises people who have finished their treatment for breast cancer still need help and may be facing a range of issues such as changed body image or a fear of the cancer recurring. Breast Cancer Care's Moving Forward resource pack helps people deal with those challenges and adjust to what is the "new normal" for them. It is useful for many healthcare professionals, including GPs, to give to people who have been treated for breast cancer.



The charity developed the resource in response to the National Cancer Survivorship Initiative to address the long-term issues of people living with and beyond cancer. It was also a key recommendation from the charity's research with breast cancer patients about their post-treatment support needs. It was then developed through research with healthcare professionals and patients conducted by the University of Southampton.



The free pack is made up of a compact ring binder with information on topics related to life after breast cancer treatment, and includes an exercise DVD which is the first of its kind, aimed at rebuilding strength and flexibility up to and beyond 12 weeks after surgery. It was put together by a physiotherapist who has worked with breast cancer patients, and a cancer rehabilitation specialist.



Dr Alison MacBeth, a GP at the Gilbertfield Medical Centre in Glasgow, said:



"After the flurry of activity around patients' acute treatment for breast cancer, the anxieties creep in. It's understandable that they assume the worst about twinges, aches, and abnormal blood or liver tests. Many patients on tamoxifen are experiencing side effects like menopausal symptoms and joint pain, and they're concerned that this means bone metastases. A lot of the time they need emotional support. We usually see them from a few months to a couple of years after treatment, but it can be anytime, so it will be useful to be able to give them the Moving Forward resource pack."



The ring binder has removable sections so GPs can work together with patients to create a pack of information most useful and relevant to them. Topics covered include:



- adjusting and adapting after a diagnosis of breast cancer

- intimacy and relationships

- signs of recurrence

- healthy eating and exercise

- managing menopausal symptoms

- cancer fatigue

- lymphoedema.



GPs may find it useful to point patients towards Moving Forward for ongoing support after their treatment. Many of the questions that commonly come up for people at this stage are covered by it, and it can be a good way to broach subjects such as relationships and intimacy that patients may find difficult to talk about.



The Moving Forward pack is also part of a wider range of free support services including online Discussion Forums and Live Chat, face-to-face events such as Lingerie Evenings where women can learn about choosing a bra after surgery, and Information and Support Sessions on the topics listed above.


Source:

Breast Cancer Care