2023-12-27 08:16:00
by Vera Martinella
Also worrying data for alcohol consumption and sedentary lifestyle. Thus the cases of different types of cancer are increasing. Bad habits are also widespread among girls
Once upon a time, not long ago, the rule was that lung cancer was a male disease, a real rarity among women. The reason is easy to explain: in approximately 85% of cases this neoplasm develops in those who (or have been) tobacco users. And for decades smoking was the preserve of men. Unfortunately, however, gender equality in this situation has not only been achieved, but even surpassed: in Italy, female smokers have been growing for years, while smokers have been decreasing. At the same time, both the number of cases of lung cancer and mortality rise among women, while they fall among men.
More deaths among Italians
This is confirmed by the photograph taken in the volume The numbers of cancer in Italy 2023, with an entire chapter dedicated to the lives saved thanks to the progress made in prevention, early diagnosis and the arrival of new therapies. The most striking, negative data concerns mortality from lung cancer – comments Massimo Di Maio, president-elect of the Italian Association of Medical Oncology (Aiom) -. In men, 36.6% of cancer deaths avoided in the period 2007-2019 linked to the progress made in the fight against smoking, as well as to improved diagnostic-therapeutic-care practices. In women, with equal diagnosis and treatment opportunities, an “excess” of 16,036 deaths from lung cancer was documented, 16% more than expected. A picture that reflects gender diversity in the spread of the habit of smoking over time and which suggests the opportunity to forcefully pursue the fight against smoking, because success would have significant consequences for the health of citizens and for sustainability. of the entire health service.
Stop smoking
Overall, in 2023, an estimated 44 thousand new diagnoses of lung cancer were estimated, 30 thousand in men and 14 thousand in women, while there were 35,700 deaths (23,600 in males and 12,100 in females). Despite notable progress in therapies, this neoplasm remains difficult to fight because more than 70% of patients are diagnosed late, when the disease is already in an advanced stage and the chances of recovery are unfortunately reduced – explains Di Maio -. The neoplasm, in fact, does not give obvious signs of its presence at the beginning and when it does it has generally already progressed to the metastatic phase. For the early diagnosis of lung cancer, the RISP program will be active in our country from 2022, free of charge and aimed at women and men between 55 and 75 years old, current heavy smokers or former smokers for less than 15 years. If discovering a carcinoma in the early stage can save lives (the smaller the nodule, the more minimally invasive and radical surgery can be, with a high chance of definitive recovery), it is equally crucial to provide support to help smokers quit: very few Italians they resort to drugs useful for quitting the habit and also those who turn to expert personnel who can create an identikit of the smoker and support him in his decision to say enough. But statistics indicate that if you ask for help, your chances of succeeding increase.
Not just lungs
Female deaths are also rising due to another type of cancer closely linked to smoking, bladder cancer, the fifth most common in the Italian population. And if breast cancer has always been the most frequent in women, what worries experts is the fact that of the almost 56 thousand new cases per year, more than one in ten can be linked to excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages, but few women are affected by it. aware. The share rises if more incorrect behaviors are considered overall – recalls Saverio Cinieri, president of the Aiom Foundation -: almost a quarter of cases of breast cancer (23%) are caused by avoidable risk factors, such as smoking, being overweight, alcohol and sedentary lifestyle. These behaviors increase the probability of developing many other neoplasms (liver, mouth, pharynx, larynx, esophagus and colorectal, just to name a few) and serious diseases, such as cardiovascular, metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases. The toxicity of alcohol is greater in women, whose body is characterized by a lower production of the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), which determines a reduced ability to metabolise ethanol – adds Cinieri, director of the Medical Oncology and Breast Unit of the Perrino Hospital in Brindisi -. And the probability of developing a neoplasm increases exponentially when alcohol is associated with other risk factors, which enhance its harmful effects, such as tobacco.
Prevention
34% of Italians are sedentary (compared to 25% of males), 26.8% are overweight (obesity is slightly more frequent among men: 11% versus 10% among women), 16.3% smoke (25% of men) and 8.7% consume alcohol in quantities that pose a health risk. The situation is further worsened by the statistics on the youngest and very young people, who unfortunately in our country drink and smoke a lot, as much as their peers, often even more – says Di Maio, director of Medical Oncology 1 of the University Hospital City of Health – Molinette of Turin —. It is essential to carry out prevention right from school and to teach that over a third of cancers could be avoided only with healthy lifestyles. According to the data collected for 2023, the most frequent cancers among Italians remain breast cancers (55,900 new cases), followed by colorectal-anus (23,700), lung (14,000) and endometrium (10,200). Early diagnosis saves lives – concludes Cinieri -. You should never ignore “strange” symptoms (such as breast lumps or vaginal discharge outside of the menstrual cycle), do the checks required according to the various age groups, see your gynecologist regularly, perform breast self-examination and accept the invitation to screening: why refuse a life-saving test offered free of charge by the Health Service?.
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December 27, 2023 (changed December 27, 2023 | 07:14)
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