Complementary services
At the GCCC 360 Centre of Oncological Excellence, we are very aware of the great physical and emotional impact of a cancer diagnosis, both for the person diagnosed and for their immediate environment.
Our goal is the well-being of our patients, which is why we offer them support during all stages of the disease and offer them complementary services that contribute to the comprehensive care of the patient and their environment, and to an improvement in their quality of life.
In the area of complementary services, we have programs aimed at responding to any need that the cancer patient may have:
- Psychological care (psycho-oncology)
- Dietetic and nutrition counselling
- Guidance and advice on fertility preservation with the collaboration of a specialist centre
- Physiology and rehabilitation
- Micropigmentation
- Benign conditions
As we mentioned, some are free and others are not, in case you have to indicate it in some way. Those that are not free have special prices for GCCC patients.
Psycho-oncology
What is psycho-oncology?
Psychological and emotional support for people diagnosed with cancer and their immediate environment is essential throughout the disease process.
At the GCCC 360 Centre of Oncological Excellence, we offer our patients and their families the specialist service in psycho-oncology, where they will find comprehensive psychological support during any stage of the disease.
We have a team of psychologists, specialising in oncology, who aim to provide resources and strategies to patients and families to deal with the different situations that may arise throughout the treatment process, possible side effects and recovery.
Psycho-oncological care helps improve mood and reduce the anxiety that treatments and their side effects can cause. It also provides tools to manage uncertainty and, if necessary, facilitate the return to daily life after diagnosis and during treatment, and improve the patient’s communication with his/her family, social, work and healthcare environment.
At the GCCC 360 Centre of Oncological Excellence, we have a range of care programmes that can be adapted to the needs of the patient or family:
- On-demand counselling: counselling and emotional support sessions for decision making on situations requiring immediate intervention. Performed in person, by telephone or on-line.
- Individual psychological therapy: Its objective is the treatment of psychological disorders, mainly anxiety and/or depression, which require continuous intervention, with a greater number of sessions and weekly visits.
Dietetics and nutrition
What is dietetics?
A rich and balanced diet is necessary in any stage of life, but in cancer processes food can play a key role in patient well-being.
At the GCCC 360 Centre of Oncological Excellence, we have an integrated dietetic and nutrition service as part of cancer treatment, where our nursing team specialises in clinical nutrition in cancer.
During treatment, our patients can have a weekly nursing consultation to receive nutritional guidance and guidelines to acquire healthy habits in their daily lives.
Prior to the application of individualised nutritional guidelines, our specialists perform an analysis of the nutritional status of each patient to assess possible risks of malnutrition or other characteristics to consider.
They then prepare a personalised report indicating the nutritional needs of the patient and offering advice on the application of the indicated guidelines and the use of support tools and services.
Fertility preservation
What is fertility preservation?
Cancer treatments can occasionally lead to impaired fertility, diminishing the ability to conceive or causing transient or permanent infertility in both women and men.
These alterations depend on various factors such as the type and location of the tumour or the doses of drugs and radiation administered. Age, gender and possible previous fertility problems before treatment may also have influence.
At the GCCC 360 Centre of Oncological Excellence, our specialist physicians will advise you on the most appropriate solutions to reduce or prevent this risk before starting treatment. This prior consultation may help increase chances of fertility preservation and discuss options as soon as possible.
There are several options to help preserve fertility in men and women, and even children with cancer, such as cryopreservation (freezing) of sperm or tissue from the testicles in men, and of oocytes (eggs), embryos (fertilised eggs), or tissue from the ovaries in women. In vitro fertilisation may also be used in some cases.
The specialist doctor assesses each case individually and determines whether the patient is suitable for these treatments and their potential effectiveness.
Physiology and rehabilitation
What is physiology?
At the GCCC 360 Centre of Oncological Excellence, we are aware of the high physical exertion patients undergo during cancer treatment and the importance of maintaining physical activity throughout the process.
Physical activity is essential to boost energy and the ability to cope with treatment, for the preservation of those members affected by tumours.
We therefore provide our patients with complementary physical and motor rehabilitation services to actively improve patients’ lives.
Cancer rehabilitation
We perform a free initial consultation with our specialist Sonia Carrera, a physiotherapist specialising in cancer rehabilitation, to establish an individualised plan according to the specific needs of each patient.
Rehabilitation sessions can be individual or in groups of 4 to 6 people. They include:
- Prevention and treatment of Lymphoedema.
- Post-surgical rehabilitation
- Lymphatic drainage of the upper extremities
- Activities to improve mobility, flexibility, muscle tone and strength of the upper and lower limbs.
- Therapeutic or relaxing massage adapted to cancer patients and their needs
Orthopaedics
The aim of the orthopaedic oncology service is to provide the best possible quality of life to patients affected by bone, muscle, tendon and cartilage tumours, especially those treated for bone metastases from osteosarcoma.
Benign conditions
What are benign conditions or diseases?
The term benign refers to a condition, tumour, or growth that is not cancerous. This means it does not spread to other parts of the body or invade adjacent tissue.
Benign diseases are fairly common diseases that significantly affect our quality of life. They may be degenerative (such as osteoarthritis), proliferative (such as keloids) or inflammatory soft tissue (such as severe ophthalmopathy) and the most common include:
- Osteoarthritis of the knee (gonarthrosis): it is a common cause of both pain and functional limitation
- Osteoarthritis of the hip (coxarthrosis)
- Osteoarthritis of the thumb (rizarthrosis)
- Plantar fasciitis
- Dupuytren’s disease
- Keloids
- Others: golfer’s elbow, tennis elbow, etc.
Radiation therapy How can it help?
Radiation therapy, given at low doses, is applied in the treatment of some of the benign conditions, when they do not improve with conventional treatments. In these cases, radiation therapy helps reduce inflammation, prevents disease proliferation and has an immunomodulatory effect. According to studies, patients treated with low-dose radiation therapy experience a 90% improvement in joint pain.
At the GCCC 360 Centre of Oncological Excellence, we apply this treatment to patients with benign diseases owing to its high effectiveness and practically non-existent toxicity.
Radiation therapy treatment is very convenient for this type of patient as it is painless, does not interfere with daily activity and does not require sedation, fasting or observation after each session. In addition, treatment usually is carried out in a few sessions lasting about 15 minutes each.