''The greatest support for a cancer patient is the life testimony of those who have overcome it''.

Begoña Barragan PHOTO: loaned

"The greatest support a person who has just been diagnosed with cancer can receive is the life testimony of those who have overcome the disease". This was stated today by Begoña Barragán, president of group Spanish Cancer Patients, on the occasion of the VII International Student Oncology congress . More than 250 students of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science and Nursing from Spanish and foreign universities are taking part in meeting, promoted by the University of Navarra.

The expert will give a talk this Saturday, March 5, lecture during the closing workshop of congress, which will also award prizes for the best papers. subject The initiative, the only one of its kind in Spain organized entirely by university students, focuses this year on the influence of cancer on society, support for patients and their families, the role of cancer patients' associations, etc.

Regarding the latter topic, Begoña Barragán clarified that in Spain there are more than 100 national, provincial and local associations of cancer patients, all of which are gathered in the group that she presides. Regarding their work, she explains that the fundamental thing "is to offer training, information and support to patients and their families. A function that, at the time of diagnosis, when the patient is most lost, takes the form of emotional support and basic information about the disease.

During treatment, adds the specialist, "we continue to provide support, analyzing the different options for fighting the tumor, resolving doubts and offering committee to help the patient live with the disease and with the side effects of the therapies". "During recovery," he continues, "we try to help the patient and his or her family regain normality. That they recover the roles that they often lose during treatment and that it is essential to resume as soon as possible."

1,500,000 cancer patients in Spain
In any case, the president of the Spanish cancer patient associations considers that the most powerful committee "is always the message of hope and trust in the healthcare professionals. To make them see that they are in the most expert hands". On the psychological and social level, however, she considers that there is still much to be done to destigmatize the disease and facilitate the social and occupational integration of patients and their families.

In this sense, Begoña Barragán underscored the influence that, in recent days, the public statements of Esperanza Aguirre and Uxue Barkos have had, "whose testimonies socially normalize cancer. A stance that we patients are grateful for, because it makes us feel less alone and more understood by our environment".

Precisely the latest figures on cancer in Spain remind us that there are more than 1,500,000 people diagnosed with the disease. It is also estimated that one in three men and one in four women will suffer a tumor. "In other words, the incidence is increasing in our country, but mortality is also decreasing. And this is a message of hope that we must not forget," concludes Barragan.