Watch and Wait, or Plan and Scan?

 

A Gemini-generated (AI) image depicting an MRI scanner, with images, and clocks indicating the 'wait' part of watch and wait.

'Watch and Wait', and what's behind the language?

First, I should acknowledge that this post is my second post today.  It's partly connected to and inspired by my earlier post about "MRIs and a connection to tackling some of life’s obstacles", and evidence that I'm perhaps feeling a little 'chatty' today.

For context, when talking to other cancer patients and in particular those in Canada and through Brain Tumour support group connections, I understand that we often use the words "watch and wait" to describe the period where we are not actively treating a tumour or cancer with surgery, radiation, or medications like chemotherapies, but where we are taking periodic scans to monitor progression, such that we wait to trigger active treatment at the right time for optimal balance of risk and benefits of the therapy.

I'm in that state right now, and have often described it as "Scan and Plan", though I do hear variations like "Watch and Wait", "Active Surveillance", "Serial Imaging" and similar.  What I'm hearing from other patients and caregivers is that "Watch and Wait" can sometimes sound promising because it defers the damage that can come with active therapy, but for others it adds to anxiety and can challenge our ability to hope because it sounds like we're just waiting, but, for what ???  

The words Watch and Wait can begin to feel like we're just waiting for the shoe to drop, or the world to end.  It's a passive activity, without giving much feeling of agency or chance for hope.  More active language like "Scan and Plan" and "Active Surveillance" remind us that we are doing something and that we have a sense of control.  This sense of control, and ability to plan can foster hope, which is an important part of any treatment plan or protocol.

In this blog post, I hope to inspire clinicians, caregivers and patients to shift our language to the more active and hopeful language that reminds us we have some role in carving our path forward.  There is still room for "Watch and Wait" language when it offers more comfort and ease, but let's not forget that many can benefit from the more active language in "Scan and Plan" or similar.

Let's build hope together through the language we choose!

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