In his greeting on the occasion of World Cancer Day, Mr. Pamporidis said that February 4 is a reminder that about 40% of cancers can be prevented with proper regular prevention and early diagnosis, to add that "cancer is not invincible, it can be cured, it can be defeated, as long as it is detected in time ”.
As Mr. Pamporidis said, "it is unfortunate that the disease has reached pandemic proportions today", stating that the numbers are indicative, since "worldwide, about 11 million people get cancer every year and 8,2 million deaths are recorded".
"Pan-European disease is the second leading cause of death, especially in developed countries, with estimates showing that one in three Europeans will get sick. Enlightenment, awareness, the adoption of healthy life choices are weapons in our battle. "Prejudice, fear and insecurity are the enemies," he said.
On the issue of cancer treatment, Mr. Pamporidis said that "many steps have been taken by the Ministry of Health over time", adding that "the multifaceted action of the last five years had the full support of the National Commission against cancer".
Referring to the six important interventions of the Ministry and its Services, which take place for cancer, Mr. Pamporidis spoke about the implementation of a population program for breast cancer offered to women aged 50 to 67, on a nationwide basis, for Implementation of a pilot program for the prevention of colon cancer in the province of Larnaca, which is offered free of charge to men and women aged 50 to 69 years and for the introduction of the HPV vaccine in the national prescription for girls aged 12 to 13, at a cost of to 300 thousand euros per year.
He also referred to the investment in palliative care with the help of non-governmental organizations and the inclusion of the Cancer Archive in the Health Monitoring Unit, linking it to the Death Archive, in order to monitor the survival time of patients and therefore the success of the measures offered. treatment.
Speaking at the conference, the President of the Cyprus Association for Cancer Prevention Dr. Pavlos Neophytou said that “the best method of preventing female cancer is the Paul Test, an excellent HPV DNA test, provided in Cyprus by the Mendel Center.
"According to the International Directives (WHO 2011-14) and the European Guidelines (European Commission 2008-15) the best prevention of cervical cancer is done by providing all adult women with an excellent HPV DNA test every 5 years .
According to the announcement of the European External Quality Control Program for the HPV DNA test (EHEQAS 2015) the only excellent HPV DNA test in free Cyprus is the Paul Test. According to the European Guidelines, an excellent HPV DNA test (Paul test or equivalent) reduces cancer by 87% more than an excellent Pap test (traditional or liquid cytology). E.g. "In Italian studies, while the incidence of cancer in women undergoing Pap smears was 5 cancers per 100,000 women per year, the incidence of cancer in women undergoing an excellent HPV DNA test was zero," he said.
In addition, he stated that "the European Guidelines state that an excellent HPV DNA test reduces high-grade precancerous conditions (CIN3) by 57% more than an excellent Pap test", noting that "therefore the implementation of the Paul Test will reduce the number of premature births, as it has been proven that women of reproductive age who undergo conical cervical resection (to remove the precancerous condition and prevent cancer) have an increased chance of giving birth prematurely ”.
The Paul Test includes: detection of clinically significant viral load (≥5,000 iu / mg), high-definition standardization (all types of virus, each individually) and quantification of viral load. While no other laboratory in the Balkans provides a test that measures viral load, the Paul Test is one of the few HPV DNAs worldwide that includes Quantitative Measurement of Virus Load and is therefore the ideal test for monitoring patients with HPV infection, since "Repeating the test regularly can show if the patient's condition is getting worse (increased viral load) or getting better (decreased viral load) or complete cure (HPV is no longer detectable = negative)," he said.
He concluded that "the Mendel Center has submitted a public Proposal (www.mendelcenter.org) for a cancer prevention program that will provide a Paul Test to all Cypriot women once every 5-7 years", adding that the Program will save millions of euros annually in the state and in the insurance funds, since the cost of treating cancers, precancerous conditions and premature births far exceeds the cost of the program ”.
Source: KYPE