Coinciding with the World Cancer Survivor Day, held on June 6, the Spanish Society of Radiation Oncology (SEOR) disseminates a communication campaign, in which it has been working for more than a month in its digital information channels and in which it highlights the fundamental role of radiotherapy in the treatment and survival of cancer patients.
This initiative, called ” Invisible. The Footprint of Radiation Oncology ”, includes a series of videos that collect the vision of medical professionals that address the past, present and future of the specialty, as well as the personal testimony of survivors of the disease, such as journalists Iñaki Gabilondo and Victoria Prego, and of anonymous people, who have wanted to join to contribute their experience and help other people.
With this campaign, the SEOR wants to bring to society a realistic and close vision of Radiation Oncology.
CANCER SURVIVORS
Gabilondo and Prego are cancer survivors. Gabilondo, who overcame colon cancer 19 years ago, recounts his personal experience since he was diagnosed with the diagnosis and acknowledges having recovered “the ability to live fully.” The journalist declares in an endearing conversation with one of the doctors who treated his cancer, the radiation oncologist Felipe Calvo, that “I knew that the life I had lived had been cut short, I was confident that I would not die, but I was able to regain my life and, possibly, these have been the best years.”
In Spain 277,000 new cases of cancer are diagnosed each year, of which 40% are cured with radiation therapy alone or in combination
Victoria Prego explains the successful treatment she received for lung cancer 13 years ago. The journalist, who describes this treatment as “most excellent,” assures that “Radiation therapy saves lives and here I am as proof.”
On the other hand, the popular magician Jorge Blass He has also collaborated with SEOR to spread the values of radiotherapy with a video where he performs a magic trick in order to make the invisible visible. With the phrase ” that you do not see it does not mean that it does not exist ”, Blass encourages from social networks to disseminate the values of radiation oncology, “a specialty that saves lives and is also invisible.”
RADIOTHERAPY, AN EFFECTIVE AND SAFE TREATMENT
In Spain 277,000 new cases of cancer are diagnosed each year, of which 40% are cured with radiation therapy alone or combined with other treatments such as surgery and chemotherapy, also increasing the quality of life of patients.
The doctor Marta Lloret, member of SEOR and radiation oncologist at the Hospital Universitario de Gran Canaria Dr. Negrín, declares that ” More than https://www.consalud.es/70% of women with breast cancer manage to keep their breast thanks to the combination of radiotherapy with surgical treatment. Most patients can be treated by removing the tumor followed by radiation therapy, thus avoiding mastectomy. ” In other locations such as the rectum, larynx or extremities, the use of radiotherapy has also facilitated “the preservation of the organ and, therefore, maintain the functional status of the patient after cancer treatment.”
It is estimated that 65% of cases require radiotherapy, although a third of the patients who can benefit from it do not receive it, either due to lack of resources or knowledge. The technological development of recent years is making radiotherapy one of the best oncological therapeutic options, even in some cases the only one, in those people who due to their previous illnesses cannot opt for other treatments such as surgery or chemotherapy.
The doctor Jorge Contreras, President of the SEOR, points out that “radiation oncology is a safe, high-quality treatment that is individually adapted to each patient. It is effective, accurate and provides excellent results. Thus, it is very important to guarantee access to cancer treatments, specifically to radiotherapy, so that they continue to improve cancer survival outcomes. ”
Because we all need health … ConSalud.es
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