November is the month dedicated to this neoplasm, still today the deadliest in Italy and in the world: one case out of five concerns non-smokers, but 80% of cases are caused by smoking (also passive)
The one in the lung, still today, the most lethal tumor in Italy and, with 41,000 new cases in 2020, one of the most frequent. Very easy to prevent: it would be enough not to smoke, since 85% of cases are due to tobacco. Very difficult to detect early, when it would be easier to cure and the chances of recovery would be greater: more than 70% of patients are diagnosed too late because the neoplasm does not show evident signs of its presence until it is now in an advanced stage. In November, the month dedicated worldwide to lung cancer awareness, the new communication campaign of WALCE Onlus, (Women Against Lung Cancer in Europe – Women Against Lung Cancer in Europe), an association created to inform, support and support patients and families in the fight against lung cancer.
115 diagnoses per day in Italy
Every day, in Italy, more than 115 people discover that they have the disease and the numbers are growing, especially among women and younger people, even non-smokers or former smokers – remember Silvia Novello, president of WALCE Onlus, full professor of medical oncology at the University of Turin and head of pulmonary oncology at San Luigi di Orbassano -. Lung cancer is the second most common cancer in men and the third in women, as well as the leading cause of cancer death in men and the second leading cause in women. Still too often this neoplasm is stigmatized as the tumor of “smokers”, with a consequent sense of blame for those affected. from these considerations the new WALCE Onlus campaign is born “My lungs are full“: A claim of great impact to reach the heart of the problem in a strong, direct and immediate way and ensure that people can get information and deal with the disease correctly. Even in Italy today one in five cases concerns non-smokers: genetics plays a role, but so does passive smoking, which is still very much underestimated. And while researchers are hard at work trying to understand the causes and specifics of the various subtypes of lung cancer, there is one thing that is fundamental for all patients: knowing whether or not your cancer has. a certain genetic mutation it can make a big difference.
New therapies lengthen and improve life
The research has made it possible to understand that each mutation of the DNA and of the genes involved makes each tumor unique and in recent years many molecular biomarkers have been found that have allowed a better definition of the tumor and determined a change in the therapeutic approach, which has become more targeted and personalized, with greater effectiveness and fewer side effects. also on the basis of this information that for many types of cancer today the therapy is decided: oncologists opt for a drug or a combination of drugs precisely on the basis of the so-called molecular profile of the neoplasm. If on the one hand the number of diagnoses increases, so do targeted therapies – explains Novello -. Beyond prejudice and superficial stigmatizations, patients need to unite and support each other. The introduction of immunotherapy and molecularly targeted drugs has found fertile ground against this disease, which means for patients to gain both quantity and quality of life.
The WALCE campaign
I have full lungs aims to raise awareness and inform young people and adults on various aspects related to lung cancer diagnosis and treatment and in November it will be visible on the social channels of WALCE Onlus, Instagram and Facebook. Furthermore, the campaign aims to reach general practitioners with dedicated podcasts published during the month of November and available on the main streaming platforms (Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts …): a series in 6 episodes, with the aim of increasing knowledge on the pathology and favoring a correct identification of symptoms. The initiative has, in fact, obtained the patronage of the Italian Society of General Medicine (Simg): the family doctor who plays the role of primary reference for the patient and his loved ones – concludes Maurizio Cancian, national contact person of the Simg oncology project area -. from the general practitioner who should start the first recommendations to patients on harm of smoking, on the strategies to stop and on the useful indications in case of a neoplasm, supporting his client throughout the diagnostic and therapeutic path.
November 11, 2021 (change November 11, 2021 | 19:58)
© REPRODUCTION RESERVED
#Lung #cancers #stereotypes #information