7.000 lung cancer deaths annually

The course of lung cancer in our country is characterized by a steadily upward trend by scientists who estimate that the smoking habit has reduced the disease to a public health problem with endemic dimensions.

The number of cases in the Oncology Clinics of public hospitals has increased in the last year, a fact that is attributed not only to the increase of the disease but also to the economic recession.

It is estimated that in the Oncology Clinic of "Sotiria" hospital the cases have increased by 25% -30%.

Patients who in the past chose a Private Hospital for their treatment, today are directed to public hospitals. Also important is the percentage of patients who, although they have already started their treatment in a Private Center, "knock" on the door of the NSS Units.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of death from cancer in men, although in the last decade women have been "competing" dangerously with the "stronger sex" in smoking, which leads to lung cancer as the leading cause of death for them, surpassing breast cancer, the scientists pointed out on the occasion of the organization of the 2nd International Conference on Lung Cancer "From the Laboratory to Clinical Practice" which will take place on February 3-4, in Athens.

Over time, the survival of lung cancer patients has improved little and it seems that standard chemotherapy drugs have exhausted their potential in treating the disease, said the experts, who pointed out that "different strategies are needed, in addition to chemotherapy. to achieve a significant extension of patients' survival, together with ensuring a satisfactory quality of life ".

However, they estimate that new promising therapies are expected to emerge from the use of the results of Molecular Research at the clinical level.

Source: Nooz.gr