FollowIn a glaring exposure, the government advisors have said that the United States is facing crisis in curing the deadly cancer disease as Americans are getting disorganized care with many of the patients not getting treatment based on the best scientific evidence.
Cancer treatment has grown so complex over the years that many US doctors can’t keep up with new information and are offering incorrect treatment to the patients, according to a report released by the Institute of Medicine, part of the National Academy of Sciences.
Cancer treatment is often too expensive and the most privileged are getting far better care than people with lower income, minorities, people who live away from big cities and the elderly. Ironically, the most cancer patients who are doomed to die still wrongly believe they might be cured.
The Institute of Medicine found “daunting” barriers to achieving high-quality care for all patients. “We do not want to frighten or scare people who are getting care now,” said Dr. Patricia Ganz, a cancer specialist at the University of California, Los Angeles, who chaired the expert panel.
The committee cautions of tsunami of new cancer cases in US with the aging of the baby boomer generation.
“As a nation we need to chart a new course for cancer care. We need to make the healthcare system better,” says Ganz.
The Internet brings a unique opportunity to change this, with ways to make sure doctors follow the best protocols for treating patients, and making sure patients understand what they need and what is possible, the committee recommended.
Cancer holds the second spot for the cause of death in the United States after heart disease, killing more than 500,000 Americans every year.
