Family physicians play a critical role in cancer care, ensuring patients receive coordinated support throughout their journey – a require highlighted at a recent webinar focused on managing treatment side effects and maintaining quality of life. Effective communication between specialists and primary care doctors is essential for optimal patient outcomes, experts say.
During the OncoTIM webinar, titled “Managing Adverse Effects in Oncology: Balancing Treatment and Quality of Life,” Dr. Daciana Toma, a family medicine physician and Vice President of the National Society of Family Medicine (SNMF), emphasized the family doctor’s central position in a patient’s care. This is particularly important as cancer treatment can be complex and impact overall health.
“The family doctor ensures the continuity of care,” Dr. Toma explained. “It’s always interesting to start with the question: what is the patient’s journey with an oncological pathology? From my point of view, this is what should happen ideally. As a family doctor, I have a suspicion, I send the patient to specialists – not always necessarily to an oncologist. I see they have symptoms, certain problems to solve, and they reach other specialists. Of course, they undergo investigations, everything necessary, and eventually receive a diagnosis.”
However, the level of ongoing support patients receive after diagnosis can vary significantly, particularly for those with other health conditions. Dr. Toma identified two categories of patients: those with cancer alone, and those with cancer plus existing comorbidities requiring specific management.
“Patients with only a cancer diagnosis are more likely to visit their family doctor only when they need a referral,” she noted. “It happens that I send a patient to an oncologist, and even if the oncologist provides a medical report, it either doesn’t reach me or arrives very late.”
Conversely, patients managing both cancer and other health issues tend to maintain a closer relationship with their family doctor due to the ongoing need for comprehensive care. This highlights a systemic issue, Dr. Toma argued, where the healthcare system should streamline processes rather than burdening patients with administrative tasks.
“The system should manage these things, not have patients running around with papers,” she said. “If there were a registry of chronic diseases accessible to all those who care for patients, things would be much simpler.”
Monitoring, Side Effects, and Education
A key role for family physicians is monitoring for adverse reactions to cancer treatment and supporting medication adherence. “Ideally, we family doctors should be able to monitor the oncology patient from the perspective of adherence to recommendations and the adverse reactions that may occur,” Dr. Toma stated. “We need to find out what is happening with that patient, especially since we as well care for their family. And if the patient doesn’t come to tell us, we at least find out from the rest of the family, from neighbors, from somewhere, what is happening with that patient.”
Providing support to both the patient and their family is also crucial. “Throughout this process, we offer support to the patient, but, very importantly, also to the caregivers,” Dr. Toma emphasized. “We grasp what is happening in their homes, not just in the community. Very often, the caregiver neglects themselves to care for a patient with cancer or other serious conditions. They are also ours and will cope much better and be much more useful to the patient with oncological pathology if they are well cared for.”
Maintaining vaccination schedules remains essential during cancer treatment, with appropriate considerations for immunosuppressed patients. Dr. Toma also stressed the importance of monitoring for long-term effects of both the disease and its treatment, including cardiovascular issues, dermatological conditions, endocrine dysfunction, and psychological distress.
The Importance of Communication
Despite the recognized need for interdisciplinary collaboration, communication between family medicine and oncology can be limited. Dr. Toma acknowledged her own experience has been minimal, often limited to receiving a medical report from the oncologist if the patient brings it to her. This lack of communication hinders the family doctor’s ability to provide effective support.
“If there were such communication, we could help with targeted initial monitoring and, at certain intervals, with managing common toxicities and supportive care, using treatment plans,” she explained. “It would be absolutely beneficial to be able to have early communication with the oncology team, to know the treatment regimen and intention, documentation of the degree of toxicity and actions to anticipate expected toxicities. Because, we know that any problem we have, if People can anticipate it at least by informing the patient, a good part of it is already solved.”
Systemic Barriers: Screening and Access
Dr. Toma also pointed out the lack of national screening programs in the country. “We are one of the few countries in Europe that does not have any kind of screening program,” she said. “And so it is not surprising that we, in fact, diagnose cancer less in early stages, but rather in advanced stages.”
The Patient’s Right to Know
The sensitive topic of informing patients about a serious diagnosis was also addressed. “You’ll see situations where caregivers say: ‘We don’t seek to tell him he has cancer.’ The patient has the right to know the pathology he has and what his future holds. I think each of us has things to ‘settle.’ It is, on the one hand, about leaving with dignity, but it is just as important to leave with things as well resolved as possible, as much as possible.”
Dr. Toma reiterated the need for collaboration between specialties in cancer care. “We must learn to support each other as professionals and, together, be each of us a true safety net for patients and their families.”
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The webinar “Managing Adverse Effects in Oncology: Balancing Treatment and Quality of Life” is part of the OncoTIM program – therapies and innovations in medical oncology. OncoTIM is a professional communication program dedicated to oncologists, specialists in related fields, oncology patients, and their caregivers. The program’s objective is to facilitate the exchange of experience, information, and interdisciplinary dialogue on current topics in modern oncology.
Webinar management: Oameni și Companii
Promotion partners: MedicalManager.ro and Caspa.ro
Professional partners: Grupul Medical NORD and NORD NEXT | Education. Experience. Training
Oameni și Companii builds and manages professional communities organized by roles and industries. Our communities develop through communication programs: events, webinars and digital content that generate dialogue and lasting relationships. With over 1,500 events and webinars and 150,000 participants from 50 fields, Oameni și Companii manages the most advanced ecosystem of professional communities in Romania.
