The most deadly cancer

It is currently the most deadly cancer. In over 80 percent. Poles are recognized in an incurable condition. Unfortunately, most patients get this disease at their own request.

Lung cancer is currently the most deadly cancer in Poland. In most patients, it is diagnosed at the incurable stage. Until recently, it was only the leader among cancers diagnosed in men. Unfortunately, it has now become the first – among cancer – killer of women. Last year, almost 7 people died because of him. Polish women. – We have a drama in terms of five-year survival of patients with lung cancer. The data is only 10 percent. men and 15-16 percent. women – regrets prof. Rodryg Ramlau, head of the Department of Clinical Oncology at the Greater Poland Pulmonology Center in Poznań. This means that out of a hundred people diagnosed with lung cancer, only 16 can receive radical treatment. In Poland, this disease is diagnosed in 20 people every year. people.

Late diagnosis of lung cancer

Lung cancer is diagnosed too late because it does not show any symptoms for a long time. – If they do appear, they are often disregarded by patients and doctors – says prof. Halina Batura-Gabryel, head of the Chair and Clinic of Pulmonology, Allergology and Pulmonological Oncology, Medical University of Poznań. He adds that out of 20 thousand as many as three-quarters of cases diagnosed every year are detected by chance. – Symptoms that should alert your primary care physician include: cough, recurrent pneumonia, shortness of breath, haemoptysis, chest pain. Even if the patient himself attaches importance only to hemoptysis and ignores the remaining symptoms, mainly coughing, the family doctor should remain oncological vigilance and refer him to a radiological examination – he adds. Pulmonologists say that patients diagnosed with lung cancer had been treated by other doctors for many months before, had taken antibiotics, and no one had ordered them to x-ray their lungs.

Polish tardiness in treatment

According to European standards, the period from diagnosis to start of therapy should not exceed one month. In Poland it is six times longer. It is a sentence for the sick. At the beginning, they have to wait for an appointment with a pulmonologist for 1,4 months on average. Then, as part of the necessary diagnostics, 1,8 months for a computed tomography of the chest. The next stage is a visit to a specialist in the field of thoracic surgery – another month. – As a result, only 15 percent. patients diagnosed with lung cancer are eligible for radical surgery that gives a chance of recovery. The rest are treated palliatively – says prof. Ramlau. Prof. Tadeusz Orłowski, head of the Surgery Clinic at the Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases in Warsaw, informs that only 3,5 thousand patients are operated on annually. lung cancer patients. He adds that improved diagnostics and faster detection of this disease could save the lives of many patients. American data show that the detection of a change in the size of 1 cm and the implementation of therapy within a month results in a cure in 93% of patients. patients. Patients who will not be qualified for surgery have a choice of two forms of palliative treatment – chemotherapy and molecularly targeted therapy, and radiotherapy, after an earlier visit to an oncologist, for which they wait about 2 weeks. They spend about 1,2 months in the queue for palliative radiotherapy treatment. Therefore, six months pass from the first visit to the doctor to the start of treatment.

Modern treatment of lung cancer

Modern lung cancer treatment requires the exact type of lung cancer to be identified. This is done by analyzing a fragment of the tumor. Such tests are performed by genetic diagnostics laboratories. In Poland, due to insufficient financing of cancer treatment, too little is done. Prof. Joanna Chorostowska-Wynimko, head of the Department of Genetics and Clinical Immunology, IGiChP, also emphasizes that for the test result to be reliable, laboratories must be controlled. You have to check that they comply with the applicable standards. Meanwhile, tenders for these services organized by hospitals are won by those who offer the lowest price, not the highest quality. Precise determination of the type of neoplasm allows you to select the most optimal treatment. Many expensive modern drugs are only effective for certain types of this cancer. Selecting the patients on whom the drug will work saves money on drug reimbursement.

Health went up in smoke

As late as 1930, the US Health Minister recommended smoking one cigarette after a meal for digestion. In the 50s, doctors took part in cigarette advertising campaigns. – A hundred years ago, lung cancer was not a problem at all. Doctors believed that there was no point in dealing with it, because it is so rare – says Prof. Tadeusz Orłowski. Today it is known that this disease occurs almost exclusively among tobacco smokers. – Observations of smoking and non-smoking populations in the USA, Great Britain and China show that smokers live on average 10-20 years shorter than non-smokers – says prof. Witold Zatoński, head of the Department of Epidemiology and Cancer Prevention at the Warsaw Cancer Center. Therefore, in his opinion, the dramatic increase in the incidence of lung cancer in women is caused by smoking. – In the 70s, every second woman smoked. Today these ladies are sick – he says. He adds that due to the fact that Poland is one of the largest producers of cigarettes, our government’s policy is not aimed at combating smoking. – We have one of the lowest cigarette prices in Europe, and our government opposed the introduction of the anti-smoking directive in the European Union – he says. Meanwhile, cigarette manufacturers are still looking for new ways to advertise them. Prof. Zatoński believes that slim cigarettes look less harmful because they are thin. Meanwhile, it is not so. – Their elegant lipstick-like packaging, in beautiful colors, especially encourages young girls to smoke. The smoke has aromatic additives so that the cigarette does not stink so much, which is supposed to make you believe that it is okay. And yet every cigarette in every box is carcinogenic – he argues.

Breaking the addiction

People who want to quit smoking but fail, Prof. Zatoński advises visiting the family doctor. There are many preparations on the market that can make quitting smoking much easier – medications or patches. Poles – We already have some achievements in this respect – notes the doctor. In the 80s, more than 60 percent of them smoked. adult men and about 30 percent. adult women, currently – approx. 30 percent men and about 20 percent. women. The number of cigarettes smoked by Poles has also decreased. At the beginning of the 90s, it was 102 billion units, now it is about 52 billion.

Tekst: Halina of Pilon

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