Lung cancer, difficult to cure and very easy to prevent (just don’t smoke) – breaking latest news

I just found out I have lung cancer, what happens now? What does it take to get a complete diagnosis? What are the most effective therapies? What to do or avoid during and after treatment to live better? These are just some of the hundreds of questions that about 41 thousand Italians ask themselves every year, those who receive them discover that they have lung cancer, and their families. The manual «Lung cancer. From diagnosis to after treatment “, produced in the form of questions and answers on symptoms, diagnosis, therapy and management of the disease by the Umberto Veronesi Foundation, published and downloadable free of charge in the download area of ​​the website www.fondazioneveronesi.it. lungs is the second most frequent neoplasm in males and the third in females – remembers Giulia Veronesi, member of the Scientific Committee on Smoking of the Foundation -. There are therefore many people who seek information on the subject, which must be clear, accessible and scientifically correct. The manual is designed in a very simple form, to meet the needs of those who get sick, caregivers and family members and also those who want information on prevention ».

Raise the price of tobacco

The first part of the text is dedicated to risk factors, first of all smoking, which is the primary cause of the onset of this neoplasm: almost 9 out of 10 cases are directly linked to tobacco. Even today in Italy, smoking remains the first avoidable cause of premature deaths and respiratory, cardiovascular and oncological diseases. About 90 thousand victims are attributed to the use of tobacco every year: in a quarter of the cases they are women and men under 65. Just considering the deaths from cancer, at least 43 thousand people a year lose their lives due to oncological diseases attributable to smoking. “The human cost is dramatic, the social and economic cost is very high – underlines Veronesi, director of Robotic Thoracic Surgery at the IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele of Milan and Associate Professor at the Vita Salute San Raffaele University -. A cost that we can avoid or reduce in an important way: smoking is a health emergency that requires immediate action and in proportion to its severity.This is why Fuv constantly renews its appeal for a significant increase in the price of packets of cigarettes, loose tobacco, of heated tobacco devices, through the increase in excise duties. Economic leverage is not enough on its own, but concrete results are achieved together with support for cessation of addiction and targeted campaigns ”.

Helping smokers to quit

In fact, it is essential to inform the population (and especially young people) of the risks that are run every time you light a cigarette, but also of what can now be done to have an early diagnosis: screening with low dose radiation CT scan and without contrast, for example, if proposed to heavy smokers or former heavy smokers exposed to smoke for more than 20 years could drastically change the fate of lung cancer prognosis and reduce mortality. Equally crucial is providing support to help smokers to quit: according to statistics, at least 35% of Italian smokers (about 11 million fellow citizens) have tried to quit at least once: the vast majority (75%) try it alone. and only about 5% try using drugs for quitting The chances of success are still low (10% have been away from smoking for at least six months), but effective and proven methods exist and it has been scientifically proven that it is not never late to do so, because there are benefits at all times, even when you are already diagnosed with lung cancer.The opportunity to quit smoking is not yet a guaranteed right to all citizens, while it has been shown that the odds success increases if targeted help is obtained. And from the results of a survey promoted by the Veronesi Foundation in 2020, it emerges that focusing on increasing the price of cigarettes would be a winning strategy: if the cost of tobacco goes up, smokers go down.

Therapies to extend the life of the sick

Unfortunately, even today the great majority of lung neoplasms are discovered already at an advanced stage, when metastases are present, and surgical removal is no longer possible. This explains why only about 18% of patients are alive five years after diagnosis. “Lung cancer is still today the deadliest tumor in Italy – concludes the expert -. It is very difficult to cure, while it is very easy to prevent since it would be enough not to smoke to avoid that 85% of cases due to tobacco. But the good news is that it is one of the oncological diseases on which scientific research is most active, on which there are surgical, pharmacological and diagnostic innovations that are able to extend the survival of the sick ». It is now known that there are different types of cancer that affect the respiratory system and it is based on this information (including any genetic mutations present or not that can direct towards the choice of a drug rather than another) that the procedure is established. treatment more suitable for the single person. From surgery to radiotherapy, passing through chemotherapy and the latest generation treatments such as biological target drugs and immunotherapy, today the treatments available are many and are often combined with each other.