Also thanks to the arrival of new effective drugs, nearly seven out of ten patients can aspire to recovery. Smoking, overweight, obesity, hypertension, incorrect diet, sedentary lifestyle increase the risk
It mainly affects men, but the cases of kidney cancer, with 13,500 new diagnoses every year in Italy, are constantly growing in both sexes. Bad habits that are increasingly widespread also in Italy are being accused: overweight, obesity, hypertension, poor diet, sedentary lifestyle. And most importantly, I smoke. The good news is that 70% of patients live five years after discovering the cancer and can hope to be cured. The most worrying is that about a third of cases (30%) are discovered late, in an advanced stage, when metastases are already present. In fact, sand out of 10 people notice the disease during medical tests for other health problems therefore only 55% of carcinomas are detected when confined only to the kidney and therefore easier to cure.
The cure must be decided together, the patient and the doctor
In recent years, the range of treatments available has been expanded and perfected – says Tonia Cinquegrana, president of ANTURE, the National Kidney Cancer Association -. All the data clearly demonstrate a continuous improvement in survival rates in Italy since the early 1990s. We still have many challenges to face in order to increase the chances of patients starting with the number of early diagnoses that must be increased. Then there is a problem of quality of life, during and after treatment, which must always be guaranteed – continues the president ANTURE, who in recent days organized an information and awareness meeting on the disease (thanks to the unconditional support of Ipsen), also making a series of videos with direct patient testimonials -. Depending on the type of tumor, its stage and the patient’s priorities, there are different treatment options: scientific studies have shown that the best results are achieved when patients and doctors make treatment decisions together. For this reason, one of the objectives we set ourselves is to encourage dialogue between specialists and the sick.
Who risks more: family members and some categories of workers
If to date there is no specific form of prevention of this type of cancer, nor tests to be carried out as screening, there are people who must be considered special supervised: those suffering from polycystic kidney diseaseundergoing dialysis for a long time, has an up to 30 times greater risk of developing cancer. First-degree relatives of people with kidney cancer may be four times more likely to be affected by the same cancer than the general population. Giuseppe Procopio, director of Oncology at the ASST of Cremona -. Particularly exposed to the risk are also i workers forced to prolonged exposure to petroleum derivatives, torotrast or zinc. Finally, hypertension, one of the most widespread chronic diseases and affecting over 15 million Italians, should not be underestimated: it increases the probability of onset of uro-oncological disease by 60%. Primary prevention and therefore healthy lifestyles are another precious weapon in our hands. The links between the disease and some bad habits such as cigarette smoking, obesity or excess weight or alcohol abuse as well as with widespread diseases such as arterial hypertension or cystic disease are documented by many researches. renal adds Camillo Portadirector of the Medical Oncology Division of the Bari Polyclinic.
Therapies and side effects
What are the most effective treatments today? Surgery retains its pivotal role in healing – he replies Sergio Bracarda, Incoming President of the Italian Society of Oncological Urology (SIUrO) -. Medical-scientific research has then developed new extremely effective tools: first molecular targeted therapies and then immunotherapy have revolutionized the fight against a neoplasm in which chemotherapy and radiotherapy have always been ineffective, so their use rare. The notable positive results in terms of efficacy are also accompanied by some temporary side effects. The most frequent are weakness, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, anemia and skin changes. Strengthening the dialogue between specialist and patient can also favor a better management of these contraindications. Compared to previous decades, the quality of life of patients has significantly improved, but it is essential to be treated by a multidisciplinary team (consisting of a urologist, oncologist, pathologist, radiologist and other specialists depending on the individual case) which elaborates the treatment plan taking into account various factors such as the age and general condition of the patient, the type and stage of the tumor, the presence of concomitant diseases and any associated drugs, explains Bracarda, director of the Oncology Department and of the Medical and Translational Oncology of the Santa Maria di Terni.
The importance of scientific research and experimentation
According to a recent survey by the International Kidney Cancer Coalition, 89% of kidney cancer patients would consider participating in a clinical trial. However, less than half this request is made. Clinical studies are essential to increase our knowledge on cancer and at the same time can provide patients with access to innovative treatments – concludes Procopio -. For this twofold objective, fundamental research must always be promoted. It has allowed us to obtain extraordinary results especially as regards the personalization of therapies. The increase in survival due to the introduction of innovative target therapies which, in the last decade, has allowed us to tackle even advanced-stage cases of the disease.
July 11, 2022 (change July 14, 2022 | 13:02)
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