Jakarta –
Lung Cancer Awareness Month is celebrated in November every year. Throughout the month, various organizations are promoting campaigns to increase awareness among the world community about lung disease which contributes to the highest death rate in the world.
Quoted from the Mayo Clinic, lung cancer is most often caused by smoking habits. This means that active smokers are the group most susceptible to this disease. Even so, people who have never smoked or been exposed to cigarette smoke are also at risk of developing lung cancer.
Lung cancer that is not treated properly can spread to other parts of the body and trigger complications such as nervous disorders, heart disease, pulmonary embolism, and the most serious, death.
Lung Cancer Awareness Month itself highlights the importance of conducting more research to learn more about lung cancer. At this commemorative event, various activities will be held aimed at increasing awareness about lung cancer in a number of countries around the world.
Lung Cancer Awareness Month 2023 Theme
Quoted from the Pace Hospital website, this year’s Lung Cancer Awareness Month has the theme ‘Education, Empowerment, and Eradication’. The theme aims to create awareness by empowering local communities to make decisions regarding their lifestyle, as well as educating about the importance of screening, early diagnosis, preventive measures, and developing strategies to help eradicate lung cancer.
Lung Cancer Awareness Month Facts
1. Celebrated since 1995
Lung Cancer Awareness Month was first held in 1995. At that time, this moment was just celebrated as Lung Cancer Awareness Day. However, as the lung cancer movement and community develops, various activities to commemorate Lung Cancer Awareness Day. This ultimately initiated the change of Lung Cancer Awareness Day to Lung Cancer Awareness Month.
2. Lung cancer has existed since the 16th century
Quoted from National Today, lung cancer was only seen as a disease in the 16th century. After going through a number of researches, researchers finally succeeded in determining several signs of lung cancer in 1810.
However, lung cancer at that time was still a very rare disease, and was often found in mining workers. Between 1876-1938, it was recorded that around 60-80 percent of miners died from lung cancer. This is what earned the mining area the nickname ‘death hole’ at that time.
3. The highest cause of death in the world
As previously mentioned, lung cancer is one of the highest contributors to death rates in the world. Quoted from the official website of the World Health Organization (WHO), lung cancer is estimated to have claimed as many as 1.8 million lives in 2020.
The same thing also applies in Indonesia. Every year around 30 thousand people die from lung cancer. This condition makes awareness and knowledge about lung cancer very important so that early intervention and prevention can be carried out.
4. Caused by Smoking Habits
One of the main trigger factors for lung cancer is smoking. This has been established by researchers even since 1929.
At that time, a German doctor named Fritz Lickint succeeded in identifying and finding a link between smoking and lung cancer. In 1930, lung cancer cases experienced an abnormal spike. This then encouraged researchers around the world to measure the impact that smoking habits might have on lung cancer.
Then in 1940, a study published in Germany confirmed that ‘The extraordinary increase in tobacco use was the single most important factor in triggering a surge in lung cancer cases’.
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2023-11-03 06:45:02
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