Azernews.Az

By Nigar Orujova

The world population on February 4 marks World Cancer Day, a date observed annually to increase public awareness of this dramatic problem of the present day and seek ways of fighting the deadly disease.

Cancer is the uncontrolled growth and spread of cells which can affect almost any part of the body. The growth often invades surrounding tissue and can metastasize to distant sites. A significant proportion of cancers can be cured by surgery, radiotherapy or chemotherapy, especially if they are detected in their early phases.

Cancer is a leading cause of death around the world, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), which estimates that 84 million people will die of cancer between 2005 and 2015 without intervention.

Some countries use World Cancer Day to promote campaigns on various cancer types which are the most widespread, such as breast cancer, lung cancer, skin cancer, and cancer in children, to raise awareness and reduce risks.

The rate of cancer diseases has risen in Azerbaijan, chief oncologist Azad Karimli told journalists last week in connection with the cancer awareness day.

Even if the 2012 statistics for cancer are not ready yet, a slight rise can be seen from the previous year's figures. The statistics show that 28,685 oncology patients were registered in 2011, compared to 28,052 in 2010.

The number of registered patients was 24,431 in 2007.

The most widespread types of cancer encountered in Azerbaijan are breast cancer in women and lung, trachea and bronchi cancer in men, Karimli said.

According to Karimli, 1,466 patients with breast cancer were reported in Azerbaijan in 2011; 1,046 of them were suffering from lung cancer, while other types of the disease are rather rare in Azerbaijan. Along with an increase in the number of cancer patients, the number of patients who live five years or more after therapy is rising, the chief oncologist noted.

Karimli links the rise of the oncology diseases with the increase in the country's population, which recently reached 9.3 million people. He says most of oncology patients are in Baku, the capital city, which is due to environmental conditions and population density, as well as the radiation factor.

The number of cancer patients is high in the south of the country, Karimli believes, which is caused by their year-round vegetable farming, in which farmers deal with agricultural chemicals.

Even if the reason for the oncology diseases is still unknown, there is tangible progress in their diagnosis and treatment, Karimli said.

However, according to him, there is a lack of professionals on histology; cancer patients are not registered without a histological examination, which provides an exact diagnosis.

The National Oncology Center, established in Azerbaijan in 2009, gave an impetus to the fight against cancer in the country, Karimli points out. The center has had an oncological center for children since 2011. Currently there are seven cancer clinics in the Azerbaijani regions and the state is providing patients with free medicine for chemotherapy, Karimli said.

According to Karimli, absolute recovery from cancer is possible in the first or second phase of the disease if medical aid is sought on time.

There is a mobile diagnosis center, with whose help preventive work is being done in the country's regions.

According to Karimli, some 10,000 people were diagnosed in the Azerbaijani regions in May-September 2012.

It is the regions of Azerbaijan that need special programs on cancer diagnosis and preventative measures, as the people are often unfamiliar with the disease and allow it to reach emergency conditions.

However, not only doctors are responsible for the fight against oncology diseases. Efforts by the media, the television in particular, should ensure public awareness of cancer and ways to prevent it, as there are many myths related to oncology and they all should be dispeled.

According to Karimli, oncology is not the end of life and there are three ways of fighting cancer - surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. After these treatments and under therapeutic guidance oncology patients may live for up to 15-20 years thereafter.

Thus, the main cancer-related problems in Azerbaijan include the lack of information on the disease and absence of its early detection.

International efforts

Last week, a video conference on cancer was held between Baku, Moscow, Kiev, Chisinau, Astana, Tbilisi and Yerevan, aiming to discuss the fight against the disease in CIS countries.

Deputy head of the Russian Oncological Scientific Center, Mikhail Lichinitser, said that the level of the fight against cancer is low in the CIS countries and there is a need to bring the system of assistance to people with cancer into accordance with European standards.

According to the WHO statistics, cancer accounted for 7.6 million deaths -- around 13 percent of all deaths -- in 2008. The most fatal cases are caused by lung, stomach, liver, colon and breast cancer around the world.

Notwithstanding the myth that cancer is only a disease of the developed countries, about 70 percent of all cancer deaths in 2008 occurred in low- and middle-income countries.

Deaths from cancer worldwide are projected to continue rising, with an estimated 13.1 million deaths in 2030.

As the situation with oncology worsens around the world, deeper knowledge of the disease is required to scientists to reach results and find a remedy. However, healthy food, an active lifestyle, timely diagnosis and periodical heath examinations may be helpful.

According to the WHO, one-third of all cancer cases are preventable and prevention offers the most cost-effective long-term strategy for the control of cancer.

Aging, a fundamental factor for the development of cancer, cannot be stopped, however, other cancer risks can be reduced.

The WHO warns that about 30 percent of cancer deaths are due to the five leading behavioral and dietary risks including high body mass index, low fruit and vegetable intake, lack of physical activity, tobacco use and alcohol use.

Thus, regular physical activity and healthy diet as well as strict avoidance of tobacco, which is causing an estimated 22 percent of cancer deaths per year, and alcohol use, and possible avoidance of occupational carcinogens, environmental pollution, radiation and infection, might help to protect from cancer.