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Rapid advances in medicine mean that the phrase “cancer is not a sentence” takes on more and more literal meaning. It should be remembered that in the big bag of tumors there are also those that are successfully treated. We present seven of them.
It should be noted, however, that while there are cancers with better and worse prognosis, it is difficult to talk about tumors that are 100% curable, because much depends on the stage of advancement and the course of the disease. It is known that even among the “mildest” malignant neoplasms there will be certain types with extremely “virulent” potential, which undermine the statistics and make the readers of this article surely include people who have lost their loved ones due to these theoretically promising cancers. . This is because all prognosis is based on statistics that tell you the probability of cure, and not 120% certainty. Undoubtedly, however, in the case of some cancers, medicine is getting closer and closer to curing them. This is of great importance, considering that malignant neoplasms are a growing problem in medicine, and over 000 new cases are diagnosed in Poland each year.
However, since the course of the disease remains largely unpredictable, how to measure the effectiveness of treatment and estimate the prognosis? Medicine uses the so-called survival indicators. The 5-year survival rate is most often determined for a given tumor. It shows what percentage of patients with diagnosed neoplastic disease live 5 years after diagnosis. Most often it is compared to a properly selected healthy population, which gives more accurate information on the impact of the disease on the lives of patients. The fact that 5-year or 10-year survival rates are reported does not mean that patients do not live longer. This is only due to the fact that cancer patients are followed for so long in scientific research. It is known that the risk of disease recurrence after 5 or 10 years of survival is very small. It should also be remembered that the survival rates for a given cancer are often summarized for all patients, regardless of the time of diagnosis, the stage of the disease or the treatment used. Therefore, people who were treated at the initial stage of low-aggressive cancer have a greater chance of long-term survival than the 5-year survival rate implies, while those diagnosed late, when the disease is significantly advanced, have a lower chance of survival. than the indicators suggest.
Here are the seven most promising crayfish:
1. Skin cancer
This is a classic case of virtually curable cancer. There are two basic types: basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. The first one practically does not metastasize, and a sufficient method of treatment is surgical excision of the lesion, most often located in the area of the face. The 5-year survival rate in this case reaches 100%, which means complete recovery. Squamous cell carcinoma may very rarely lead to distant metastases, which worsens the prognosis of patients. However, it is still very good – the 5-year survival rate is approx. 90%.
Also read: Atypical symptoms of a serious illness
2. Thyroid cancer
Thyroid cancer is the most common cancer of the endocrine glands. 90% of cases are the so-called well-differentiated thyroid carcinomas – papillary cancer (approx. 80%) and follicular cancer (approx. 10%). If the focus of the follicular cancer does not exceed 1 cm (it is often found in thyroid glands removed for another reason) and there is no metastasis to the lymph nodes, then such a tumor is completely curable. On the other hand, the percentage of 5-year survival for thyroid carcinomas in total in Poland is approx. 85%.
3. Testicular cancer
Testicular cancer is the most common cancer in young men. Although the number of cases has increased in recent years, the fact that the treatment is very effective is very comforting. These cancers are highly sensitive to chemotherapy and even in the case of dissemination, the treatment results are very good. The 5-year survival rate for Poland is approximately 84%. A significant discrepancy in the results of treatment within the country is noteworthy: the Zachodniopomorskie and Warmińsko-Mazurskie voivodeships can boast over 95% 5-year survival rates, while in the Kujawsko-Pomorskie voivodships this percentage is less than 75%.
4. Breast cancer
The fight against the most common malignant neoplasm in women continues, and its effect is increasing five-year survival rates in women. Early detection and diagnosis of the disease, possible incl. thanks to regular screening tests, it gives a chance not only for long-term survival, but also for the preservation of the breasts. In 2008, the American Cancer Society announced that the overall 5-year survival rate for breast cancer is 89%. According to European EUROCARE-4 data, it amounts to approx. 82%, while in Poland the average 5-year survival rate is (only !!!) 75%, with the lowest value in the Małopolskie Voivodeship at approx. 69% and the highest value close to the level European in the Mazowieckie Voivodeship – over 79%. A fraction of the invited women apply for prophylactic mammography examinations in Poland. One of the reasons is the fear of being sick, and yet – as you can see in this case – they lose a lot. This translates into over 5 jobs in Poland. deaths annually from breast cancer.
Also read: The strangest of cancers
5. Endometrial cancer
Endometrial cancer is a cancer that most commonly affects postmenopausal women. Approx. 20% of postmenopausal vaginal bleeding is related to endometrial cancer, which speeds up diagnosis. The 5-year survival rate in Poland in women with diagnosed cancer does not differ from the European average and amounts to approx. 77%.
6. Malignant Hodgkin (Hodgkin’s lymphoma)
It is hard to believe that lymphoma will appear in the list of good-looking neoplasms. It turns out, however, that with the advancement of chemotherapy and the development of new treatment regimens, this lymphoma is a potentially curable disease, and people who survived more than 15 years after treatment usually die for reasons other than Hodgkin’s disease. In Poland, the 5-year survival rate is approx. 78% for women, and approx. 72% for men. In patients diagnosed with stage I and II disease, this percentage is as high as 95%.
7. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in children
Leukemias are the most numerous group of neoplastic diseases in the age group up to 18 years of age. The most common of these, accounting for up to 85% of all childhood leukemias, is acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Happy in children (the peak incidence falls between the ages of 2 and 5), the treatment results are very good. According to the data from 2010, with the use of modern chemotherapy methods, it is possible to achieve a 5-year survival rate of over 90%.
Take care of your breasts
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- Hope more lasting than life