At the center of the program of oncologists to fight against incorrect lifestyles that in Italy (also due to Covid) are on the rise. The real danger of delayed diagnoses
More than a third of cancers would not develop in the face of correct lifestyles. Not smoking (or quitting with concrete benefits at any age), exercising regularly, eating a balanced diet and not having extra pounds are simple rules, which have tangible consequences for keeping away the risk of cancer in healthy people and the danger of relapses in those who have already fallen ill. This is why prevention at the center of the national congress of the Italian Association of Medical Oncology (Aiom) which opens today. The responsibility of tobacco, excessive weight, improper diet and sedentary behavior in the onset of cancer has been amply demonstrated by many scientific studies around the world – underlines Giordano Beretta, president of Aiom -. Statistics for 2021 indicate that in Italy there will be over 181 thousand deaths due to cancer. Even if mortality has decreased in recent years and the ranks of compatriots who leave the disease behind, or live with it for years, are constantly growing, every day about a thousand Italians receive a diagnosis and only thanks to prevention, if each of us pay attention , it could be 350 less.
Bad habits on the rise
Also because of the lockdowns, some wrong lifestyles are even more widespread: over 10 million Italians, equal to 18% of those over 14, smoke regularly; 16% consume excessive doses of alcohol every day and as many as 35% of adults do not practice any physical activity or sport. While 46% overweight and 10% even obese. Citizens of all ages need to reiterate the importance of healthy lifestyles and adherence to screening programs. The data on incorrect lifestyles have become worrying and we must reverse an alarming trend – adds Beretta, who director of the Medical Oncology at Humanitas Gavazzeni in Bergamo -. Secondly, two and a half million lost screenings must be recovered, which have already led to the diagnosis of more advanced cancers. For these aspects, like Aiom, in the coming weeks we will launch two specific campaigns aimed at all age groups of the population.
3.6 million Italians alive after cancer
There are about 3.6 million, 6% of the population, Italians alive after the disease, with an increase of 36% compared to 2010. This is due to the new therapies, but also to the successes in early diagnosis, which risk being nullified due to of the Covid pandemic: millions of visits and examinations skipped in the months of lockdown, in addition to thousands of postponed interventions and therapies that risk being a tsunami for those who discover the presence of a tumor late. Mammography, Pap test or Hpv-Dna test and examination for the search for occult blood in feces save thousands of lives every year because they allow to discover the presence of an early stage tumor, when the chances of healing are greater – said Saverio Cinieri, Aiom president-elect -. We need to start a recovery plan for these exams lost due to Covid which are of fundamental importance. On the other hand, it is decisive that citizens seize the opportunity offered by our NHS and adhere to the invitation that comes from the ASL: the rates of adherence to screening are still too low.
The (concrete) danger of delayed diagnoses
Delays or postponements for diagnostic tests, screening and follow-up programs caused by the health emergency involve a real and concrete risk of recording, in the months and years to come, a sharp increase in cancers diagnosed at a more advanced stage, when healing is more difficult to achieve and the necessary therapies are more demanding. For this reason, the priority must be the resumption of examinations and treatments throughout the national territory – adds Beretta, who is director of Medical Oncology at Humanitas Gavazzeni in Bergamo -. This end of 2021 and all of 2022 will have to be strongly dedicated to the recovery after the terrible two years we have had to face. But we must also focus on patients already affected by a neoplasm, favoring adherence to therapies and the resumption of diagnostic and follow-up tests. Telemedicine should be better used and regulated for the management of remote follow-up, favoring patients and ensuring continuity of care. Collaboration with patient associations must also be strengthened as soon as possible.
Don’t leave the sick alone
Just to maintain contact with patients and caregivers, through new initiatives, lhe scientific society has decided to expand the programming of Aiom TV, the official broadcaster of Italian oncologists. Videos will be produced with interviews with different specialists and practical advice will be given on how to deal with the disease. Sports instructors and nutritionists will explain which physical activities can be carried out, during and after the treatments, and what diet to follow. We want to be able to reach patients even remotely to provide them with useful and certified information – concludes Cinieri, director of the medical oncology and Breast unit of the Perrino Hospital in Brindisi -. To do this, it is now essential to use all the digital tools at our disposal, including social media. The task of medical oncology must be to help the sick not only when we administer the treatments, but also in daily life. Survival from tumors is increasing: one in 17 Italians has had a tumor, new needs arise which health care must be able to respond to. We must ensure that this growing “army” returns to a full and satisfying life, stemming as much as possible the aftermath that the tumor may have left on the mind and body. All these simple rules, together with the constant practice of early diagnosis checks, allow not only to reduce the incidence of tumors, but also to treat people already under treatment more effectively.
October 22, 2021 (change October 22, 2021 | 16:33)
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