Cancer it is indeed a frightening specter for everyone, especially when considering this one disease there are many types and can attack anyone regardless of age and gender.
Of the many types of cancer, it is lung cancer which is known to be at the top rank as a cancer with the highest mortality rate both in the world and in Indonesia.
GLOBOCAN 2020 data shows, lung cancer deaths in Indonesia have increased by 18 percent over the last two years to 30,843 people with new cases reaching 34,783 cases.
This means that currently in Indonesia there are four people dying from lung cancer every hour and it has the potential to increase every day if it is not made a national priority.
The high mortality rate is more or less due to delayed treatment. In fact, in the field 85 to 90 percent of the new case patients who come to the hospital are already in an advanced stage.
The condition has been late in carrying out this examination and treatment, as explained by a pulmonologist, Dr. Sita Laksmi Andarini, PhD, Sp.P (K) The first factor is because people usually don’t feel pain in the chest or cough.
“First, because there are no nerves in the lungs. So the patient does not feel pain and cough. The taste is there when it has been hit by the membrane covering the lungs, so yes, most of them don’t have any symptoms, ”said Dr. Sita, in a press conference on Challenges & Recommendations Towards a Better Management of Lung Cancer-IPKP, Saturday (20/3/2021).
Furthermore, there is no habit of doing early protection such as CT-scan and chest X-ray. In contrast to the culture for example in breast cancer, with the Sadari movement (self-examination of the breast).
“For example, there is breast cancer. Be aware, you feel a lump, so you can detect it yourself. Lung cancer is not the case, there is no early detection like CT-scans or chest photos that are routinely done. CT-scans every two years, like in developed countries. Early detection is like being late, “he added.
Seeing this situation, Dr. Sita said that therefore he appealed to people who fall into the high population category to carry out routine early detection. Likewise, non-high population people but have respiratory symptoms that do not go away, it is mandatory to see a doctor.
“So now we urge the high population, namely men, over 40 years of age, and smoking to be routine early detection. It is the same as people who are not in the population above, but with respiratory symptoms that do not go away with treatment, for 2 weeks it is mandatory to see a doctor for further analysis, “concluded Dr. Sita.
(DRM)
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