Booklet: What You Need to Know about Laryngeal Cancer

Living With Cancer

The diagnosis of cancer can change the lives of patients and the people who care about them. These changes can be hard to handle. It's natural for patients and their families and friends to have many different and sometimes confusing emotions.

At times, patients and their loved ones may feel frightened, angry, or depressed. These are normal reactions when people face a serious health problem. Most people handle their problems better if they can share their thoughts and feelings with those close to them. Sharing can help everyone feel more at ease and can open the way for people to show one another their concern and offer their support.

Worries about tests, treatments, hospital stays, learning to talk again, and medical bills are common. Doctors, nurses, speech pathologists, social workers, and other members of the health care team can help calm fears and ease confusion. They can also provide information and suggest resources.

Patients and their families are naturally concerned about what the future holds. Sometimes they use statistics to try to figure out the chance of being cured. It is important to remember, however, that statistics are averages based on large numbers of patients. They can't be used to predict what will happen to a certain patient because no two cancer patients are alike. The doctor who takes care of the patient is the best one to discuss that person's outlook (prognosis).

People should feel free to ask the doctor about their prognosis, but not even the doctor knows for sure what will happen. Doctors may talk about surviving cancer, or they may use the term remission rather than cure. Even though many people with cancer of the larynx recover completely, doctors use these terms because the disease can recur.

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