Home » “I have full lungs”, the campaign against disinformation on lung cancer

“I have full lungs”, the campaign against disinformation on lung cancer

by admin

OF SILENCE, sense of guilt, fear, resignation and misinformation. Of all this, patients “have their … lungs full!”. The motto of the new lung cancer awareness month campaign launched by the Women against Lung Cancer in Europe (Walce) association gets straight to the point and undoubtedly attracts attention. By title “My lungs are full“, precisely. A slogan that does not want to make irony, far from it. He wants to remind you that, although this neoplasm affects over 41,000 people a year in Italy, little is said about it. That there is still stigmatization for smokers, when no one looks for a disease and in 20% of cases it affects those who have never smoked. That often untrue information is spread: such as the fact that early diagnosis is not needed, that there is no cure, that there is nothing to be done after diagnosis.

To combat all these prejudices, Walce involved personalities from the world of sport and entertainment in a social challenge (instagram and Facebook), in which the participants will have to read in one breath a text with some of the most common clichés and false myths. on lung cancer. The challengers will be Milena Baldassarri, Caterina Balivo, Cristina Chirichella, Francesca Dallapè, Aurora Galli, Serena Garitta, Manuela Giugliano, Mike Maric, Simone Nolasco, Giorgia Palmas, Federica Panicucci, Giulia Pauselli, Massimiliano Rosolino. At the same time, Walce produced a podcast in 6 episodes: in each episode, the specialists of the lung cancer treatment process explain each phase and therapeutic possibility: oncologists, surgeons, radiologists, radiotherapists.

“In Italy, the numbers of lung cancer underline the importance and urgency of continuous and pressing information on this pathology”, underlines Silvia Novello, president of WALCE, Professor of Medical Oncology at the University of Turin and head of the Simple Structure Pulmonary Oncology Department of the AOU San Luigi in Orbassano: “Patients, who still struggle to work as a team by joining associations and groups, must be reached by increasingly accurate and correct information. If on the one hand the diagnoses are growing, so are the therapies “.

The campaign also received the patronage and support of the Italian Society of General Medicine (SIMG). The podcasts, in fact, are mainly aimed at general practitioners “The ‘family’ doctor is the first point of reference for the patient”, says Maurizio Cancian, national contact person for the oncology project area of ​​SIMG: “It is the general doctor who must provide first recommendations to patients. And who must invite their patients, if they smoke, to quit, aware, however, that lung cancer does not only affect those who smoke. We have the delicate and fundamental task of being close to those who get sick – he concludes – reassuring and informing about the therapies that have shown a certain efficacy and supporting them throughout the diagnostic and therapeutic process “.

.

See also  Test Galleri: the blood test that detects tumors

You may also like

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Accept Read More

Privacy & Cookies Policy