Home » Cancer: 32% EU deaths associated with poverty and little education – Healthcare

Cancer: 32% EU deaths associated with poverty and little education – Healthcare

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Cancer: 32% EU deaths associated with poverty and little education – Healthcare

In Europe, 32% of cancer deaths are associated with poverty and low education. In Italy the situation is better but too much time is spent on bureaucracy and staff are needed to help the doctors. The request comes from the Italian Association of Medical Oncology (Aiom) on the occasion of the ‘Close the Care Gap’ conference in the Senate, on the eve of World Cancer Day which is celebrated on 4 February. The goal of the event, says Aiom, is to raise citizens’ awareness of the differences in access to care.

In Europe, therefore, 32% of cancer deaths in men and 16% in women are associated with socioeconomic inequalities. The least educated and poorest people, say oncologists, adopt incorrect lifestyles, perform screenings infrequently, do not have access to health systems and too often arrive at the diagnosis of cancer at an already advanced stage. These disparities are less evident in countries that have universal healthcare systems like ours, capable of guaranteeing treatment for everyone. However, Aiom warns, Italy must bridge the gap in adherence to screening programs that still exists between North and South and a major awareness plan is needed to recover these gaps. Furthermore, in our country, more than 50% of the time of each oncological visit is absorbed by bureaucratic obligations. This is why specialists ask to hire staff who can deal with these aspects.

“Italy seems to suffer less from social inequalities in cancer – says the president of Aiom, Saverio Cinieri – but there are areas in which urgent action is needed, starting from citizens’ awareness of correct lifestyles”. In 2022, 390,700 new cancer diagnoses were estimated in Italy. 40% of cases can be avoided by acting on modifiable risk factors. In particular, tobacco smoke is the main risk factor, associated with the onset of approximately one tumor out of three and with no less than 17 types of neoplasia, in addition to lung cancer.

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