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The importance of a healthy lifestyle
In absolute terms, diagnoses for these Big Five will increase more, but in percentage terms liver and kidney cancers will increase more. These are cancers that are generally linked to obesity and alcohol. According to Sonke, we see “an obesity pandemic approaching us”.
“Be really vigilant about your health, watch your lifestyle and your sun exposure,” says Sonke. More than a third of all cancer cases are related to lifestyle. “Reducing alcohol consumption, quitting smoking, eating healthier, protecting the skin from sunlight and exercising more have a great effect,” says KWF’s Arjan de Boer.
Use that HPV vaccination. Not just for yourself, but for others as well.
Sonke stresses the importance of HPV vaccination for boys and girls. HPV is a virus that is contracted through sexual contact with someone who is infected. This infection can cause cancer later in life. Vaccination protects against six types of cancer, of which cervical cancer is the best known. Sonke: “Use that vaccination. Not just for yourself, but for others as well.”
Cancer treatments organized differently
According to IKNL President Thijs Merkx, care must be organized differently to continue to receive the growing number of cancer patients.
“There is currently a shortage of staff, a capacity problem in hospitals. We see opportunities for a different way of collaborating between hospitals to address this problem,” Merkx says.
Is it wiser to treat, for example, prostate cancer in one hospital and lung cancer in another?
“Cancer care needs to be organized differently, without excluding other treatments. For example, many regular care was postponed during the corona crisis, because we didn’t know we would end up in a pandemic. Now we already know what the next ten years are. to come, and we must prepare for this with all responsible parties. “
Merkx already gives a suggestion: “Should all cancer treatments be carried out in full in each hospital? Or does it make more sense to treat prostate cancer in one hospital and lung cancer in another hospital? focus on certain types of treatment. ‘
The government must contribute to a healthy living environment
“You have to live healthy now to not get something in the future. It’s damn hard, but it’s the only way,” says Sonke. According to De Boer, it is important that the government contributes to a healthy living environment by introducing measures.
“Restricting the marketing of alcohol and regularly increasing tobacco excise duties are concrete examples of measures that bring a healthy environment and therefore a healthy lifestyle closer”.
