A patient with cancer still has a better chance of being cured in the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia than in Poland. These differences result not only from higher expenditures, greater availability of modern diagnostic and therapy methods, but above all from better organization of health care, say oncologists.
Doctors associated with the Polish Cancer Society sent a letter to the Minister of Health with an appeal to start activities aimed at improving the results of cancer treatment in Poland. In their opinion, cancerous diseases have already become the first cause of premature deaths of Poles.
Increase in cancer incidence
– In the coming years, there will be an approximately 20% increase in cancer incidence in women and approximately 30% in men. The health care system is currently not prepared to treat such a number of oncological patients, says Dr. Joanna Didkowska from the National Cancer Registry of the Oncology Center-Institute in Warsaw. In 2011, 160 Poles fell ill with cancer. 320 people live with cancer. – As many as 55 percent patients currently treated for cancer in Poland will be able to obtain the so-called five-year recovery – says Prof. Krzysztof Herman, national consultant in the field of oncological surgery. This is a certain improvement compared to last year, in which the five-year survival rate was obtained in 42 percent. sick (33% of men and 63% of women), but still these statistics are worse than those in the European Union. The five-year cure rate in the EU is 54%. (47% of men and 56% of women), i.e. by 12% more than in Poland. The cure rate is even higher in the USA. Five-year survival is achieved 65%. sick.
The best oncological treatment
In a letter to the health minister, oncologists emphasize that Czechs, Hungarians and Slovaks achieve better results thanks to coordinated and interdisciplinary treatment. In Poland, too many facilities deal with oncological patients. Besides, they don’t do it comprehensively. According to prof. Krzysztof Herman, a return to the centralization of treatment of patients is a good direction. The best results are obtained in large centers, such as the Oncology Center in Warsaw. For example, the effectiveness of cancer treatment there is as much as 30 percent. greater than in many other centers. In Poland, oncological treatment is provided by 500 hospitals. However, oncological surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy are not available everywhere. Also, oncology specialists do not work everywhere. – Meanwhile, the first missed treatment reduces the chances of a cure by as much as 50 percent. – says Janusz Meder, president of the Polish Oncology Union. Due to the fragmentation of oncology facilities, the differences in the effectiveness of treatment between voivodships amount to up to 10%. The greatest disproportions are in the treatment of thyroid cancer (13,6%), colorectal cancer (12,5%) and breast cancer (10,6%).
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The cost of cancer treatment
Despite the increase in expenditure, Polish oncology is still underfunded. In our country, 5 to 7 times less is spent on the treatment of neoplastic diseases than in Western Europe, and the costs of drugs are the same. Many cancer centers have so-called over-performance and has not yet received payment for the treatment of patients in 2011. According to prof. Herman, these arrears amount to PLN 300-500 million. In his opinion, it is impossible to limit services both in the field of diagnostics and treatment, which are life-saving procedures in oncology. – Treatment in oncology should not be limited, especially when the procedures performed are not expensive, but give significant therapeutic effects – says Krzysztof Łanda, specialist in the field of treatment costs, from the Watch Health Care Foundation. Meanwhile, difficulties in accessing diagnostics mean that most patients begin treatment at an advanced stage of the disease, and not only that, the lower chances of recovery are also higher treatment costs. In the case of the early stage of the disease, they amount to several thousand zlotys, in the advanced stage – even several hundred.
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