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You will forgive my expression, but, as they say in my town, "some snot is blown and others are sucked."
This graphic sentence is applicable to multiple aspects of life and, among them, also to the
disparate treatment in the media and the social perception that different types of cancer receive
.
While, for example, each year, on October 19, breast cancer receives great media coverage and, thanks to this, it is possible to contribute to prevention and diagnosis, even to raise significant funds that contribute to research,
other types of Cancer like lung cancer celebrate their "birthdays" almost unnoticed
.
This week,
on November 17, International Lung Cancer Day has been celebrated
and I would like to dedicate these lines to talking about the tumor that causes the most deaths in the world.
Yes, how you hear it.
Only in Spain each year 22,000 victims are claimed
, being here the fourth most common tumor (behind the colon and rectum, prostate and breast).
These are some of the keys that can help in prevention and early diagnosis:
Does it affect men more than women?
Although until recently it seemed that this cancer was mainly "a man's thing",
in recent years there has been an increase in cases among women
due to the fact that from the seventies they also started the habit (something that had great impact, even from a cinematic point of view). The result is that
for women this tumor sneaks into the podium, being the third
with the highest incidence among them, only behind the breast and colon.
But the key is not only in the tobacco, but two other factors play more in the equation.
In the first place, is that, according to experts,
the harmful effect of tobacco on women could be greater than on men
.
To put it simply: the ability to eliminate tobacco-related toxins may be less effective in women.
Second,
they have a later diagnosis because, as we mentioned, the myth that lung cancer "is a man's disease" remains ingrained
.
However, statistics are showing that the prevalence of this type of tumor between both genders is getting closer and closer.
Tobacco: quantity matters
By now we all know that the main factor that can increase the chances of lung cancer is smoking. The data speaks for itself:
around 80% of lung cancer deaths are due to smoking,
and people who smoke are 15 to 30 times more likely to contract or die from this type of cancer.
And yes,
quantity does matter
.
We know that the longer you smoke and the more packs you consume per day, the greater the risk.
On the contrary, there are studies that suggest that
those who are able to reduce the number of cigarettes they smoke per day are more likely to end up quitting
smoking.
In other words, any small step counts and can be the ultimate in quitting smoking.
To this main risk factor are added others such as
being a passive smoker
, that is, breathing the smoke of people who smoke, environmental pollution,
family history
of lung cancer and
exposure to certain chemicals such
as asbestos or radon gas .
What about electronic cigarettes?
The
experts also advise against its use
because, not only are unknown yet what may be their long -
term effects, but especially for young people "uninitiated" can become the gateway to smoking.
With regard to young people, since statistically they now start smoking from the age of 16,
the age at which the first symptoms of lung cancer appear is decreasing
.
Let us remember that the mortality rates in this tumor always appear between ten and twenty years after the
highest peaks in tobacco consumption
occur
.
Yes, do the math.
At age 26 we could find the first symptoms
in some young people.
Identifying the symptoms, a challenge
One of the main pitfalls is the
difficulty of diagnosis
since the first symptoms appear when the tumor is in an advanced state.
If we add to this that, according to a survey carried out in nine European countries,
20% of the population is not capable of identifying a single symptom of lung cancer
, it is urgent to take measures so that the general population, and the Young people in particular, become familiar with this type of cancer.
What signs should we be alert to?
People with lung cancer may
experience symptoms such as fatigue, persistent cough, shortness of breath, bloody cough, weight loss, loss of appetite, or hoarseness
.
When these symptoms appear, seeing a doctor as soon as possible can advance the diagnosis and, with the help of science, save lives.
Because let's not forget, lives are not
saved thanks
to magic or luck, but
to science and policies that promote prevention and early diagnosis.
According to the criteria of The Trust Project
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