Lung cancer… kills 90% of smokers

A recent statistic from the Ministry of Health showed that lung cancer is the number one cause of death among types of cancer in men and women, accounting for 25% of all deaths, and that 1.76 million deaths occur in the world due to lung cancer, and that it is the most prevalent by 11.6% than other types of cancer, and the first cause Death accounted for 18.4% of all deaths.Specialists stressed to “Al-Youm” in the issue of the week the importance of the psychological aspect, with full focus on the treatment plan for physical illness.

11 substances that are directly carcinogenic to humans

The Director of the Anti-Smoking Program in the Eastern Province, Dr. Amin Al-Gharib, that smoking contains 4800 substances, 41 of which are carcinogenic to living organisms in general, and 11 of the 41 substances are directly carcinogenic to humans, pointing out that the most common cause of lung cancer is smoking.

And he explained, during a lecture entitled “The Causes of Lung Cancer,” that smoking is divided into two parts: the first includes the smoker: anything that burns from tobacco and shows us the image of smoking in it, such as “smoke, molasses, and madwakh.” Al-Suwaika.

He stated that there are 3 types of smokers, the first, direct smokers, who smokes tobacco, and the second, those who sit with smokers and inhale fuels or tobacco components, and 90% of the damages reach them, and the third is cumulative smoking caused by 4800 substances related to clothing or furniture. Or in fabrics and affect children under 12 years of age, and infect them with diseases such as asthma or permanent sore throat. He pointed out that some use nicotine to quit smoking, but that substance causes addiction. He pointed out that e-cigarette treatment is a wrong trend, because it has not been scientifically proven, but rather it has been proven to be more harmful.

And he indicated that the treatment depends on the conditions, health and lifestyle of the smoker himself or the one who wants to quit smoking, and that quitting is not only with medication.

An effective role for the positive psychological aspect in treatment

Confirmed psychological counselor and clinical supervisor d. Abeer bint Ali Muhammad Rashid that lung cancer is one of the life-threatening cancerous diseases, which have a negative impact on the body, but affect the psychological aspect of the injured in a clear and tangible way, and we may not exaggerate that its psychological impact may exceed the organic pain resulting from it, as studies indicate That a third of people who have been infected with cancerous diseases in general suffer from severe psychological crises such as depression, anxiety, fear of illness and death, and others, and these studies also that the positive psychological aspect has an important and effective role in treatment, and the opposite is also true in that the negative psychological aspect may be The reason for the deterioration of the patient’s health condition and the delay and possibly failure of treatment.

She said: Many participants in the treatment process for life-threatening diseases such as cancers and others, whether the medical staff or patients and their families neglect the importance of the psychological aspect with full focus on the treatment plan for physical illness, due to several reasons, most notably, that cancerous diseases, depression and anxiety share some symptoms Such as fatigue, lack of sleep and decreased appetite, which makes it difficult to identify mental health conditions for non-specialists.

On the other hand, the lack of awareness of the importance of the psychological aspect and its effective role in the success of the treatment process by patients or the surrounding community makes them neglect the care and activation of it. Also, in cases of diseases that are considered life-threatening, some believe that effective treatment outcomes lie in choosing the specialized medical team and distinguished health centers, and they make attention to the psychological aspect secondary or a kind of luxury, which, if available, will benefit, and if absent, it will not harm, as it is believed. Others say that psychological intervention should be in the post-physical treatment phase, in the event that psychological symptoms appear that require this type of intervention.

Dr. added. Rashid that in cases of life-threatening diseases such as lung cancer, awareness of the psychological aspect is a priority and this role begins by the medical team supervising the treatment process from the first stage, which is to inform the patient of his health condition until the stage of recovery after treatment, and this lies in taking reassuring methods during Diagnosis through educating the patient and his family about his health condition, and focusing on the importance of his psychological safety, which requires referring him to specialists in this aspect as a basic stage and a preventive intervention from the expected shocks and fears. It is unfortunate that the lack of attention to the psychological aspect may cause many patients in a state of panic and intense fear while receiving the diagnosis and presenting the mechanism required to complete the treatment, due to the unprofessional way of conveying the news to the patient, which makes his psychological condition worsen and deteriorate before receiving treatment, which requires high psychological morale. Too much to get out of the crisis safely.

On the other hand, the families of the patient who are required to provide psychological and moral support and support to him, are also suffering silently despite the fact that they are in dire need of psychological support, which qualifies them to take care of themselves first and then the situation, which awaits them psychological support. In fact, this The group suffers the most, because psychological support is rarely provided to them as a primary service and not as a secondary service that those who are lucky get. There is no doubt that the patient’s family will be able to contain him psychologically and understand his needs better when they feel safe and psychologically comfortable during this difficult stage of their lives.

She indicated that studies indicate that the psychological aspect has a prominent role in healing and overcoming the crisis, and on the contrary, psychological crises disrupt the organic treatment of cancer patients. Some wrong safety behaviors, which may negatively affect the course of treatment, noting that the feeling of safety and psychological stability makes the treatment journey safe and the post-treatment phase reassuring and saves the patient from a psychological setback that may harm him in the long run more than the organic disease itself.

Treatment according to the type, prevalence and health of the patient

A consultant vascular surgeon at King Fahd Hospital in Hofuf, Dr. Ali Muhammad Al-Salman that lung cancer is an uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in one or both lungs, and these abnormal cells do not perform the tasks of normal lung cells and do not develop into healthy lung tissue, so tumors form and obstruct the work of the lung and its symptoms are persistent coughing or coughing. that does not improve with medication, coughing up blood, shortness of breath, chest pain, wheezing, hoarseness, unexplained weight loss, bone pain, headache.

Dr. pointed out. Al-Salman indicated that the risk factors are smoking: the risk of developing lung cancer increases with the number of daily cigarettes and the number of years a smoker has. Quitting smoking at any age significantly reduces the risk of lung cancer, exposure to secondhand smoke, exposure to radon gas, exposure to carcinogens: such as asbestos, arsenic, chromium, and nickel, a family history of lung cancer: as a parent, sibling, and the combination of the two works « Smoking and exposure to asbestos and other compounds in the workplace increase your risk of lung cancer by 50%.

Dr. added. Al-Salman said that lung cancer is the second most common type of cancer in 2020 “in terms of new cancer cases” (2.21 million cases), the leading cause of cancer death among men and the second leading cause of cancer death among women worldwide. Until 2020, the number of Lung cancer cases recorded in Saudi Arabia are 1442 cases, and in the same world 1157 new cases were recorded, and the number of deaths from it in the same year was 1001 deaths, indicating that lung cancer can cause complications, such as: shortness of breath, coughing blood, pain, fluid In the chest (pleural effusion), cancer that has spread to other parts of the body (bone metastases).

Dr. explained. Al-Salman that treatment depends on the type of cancer, how far it has spread, and the person’s overall health; If the condition is diagnosed early and the cancer cells are limited to a small area, surgery is usually recommended to remove the affected area. Radiation therapy: If surgery is not appropriate due to the poor health of the person in general, radiation therapy may be recommended to eliminate cancerous cells as an alternative. Chemotherapy: if it has spread Cancer, where surgery or radiotherapy doesn’t work, uses chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is also often used after surgery to kill any remaining cancer cells. It can be used alone or in combination with radiotherapy. Chemotherapy may be used before surgery to reduce the size of cancers and make them easier to remove, and targeted or biological drug therapy gives high results in the presence of certain receptors, namely “PDL1, EGFR, ALK, ROS” and is effective even in cases of spread of cancer, and its complications are much less than complications Chemotherapy Immunotherapy. Immunotherapy uses your immune system to fight cancer.

He added that there is no sure way to prevent lung cancer, but the risk of infection may decrease in cases of: quitting smoking, avoiding passive smoking, conducting tests to detect the presence of radon gas in the vicinity of the home, avoiding exposure to carcinogens at work, and a diet rich in vegetables and fruits Maintain physical activity.

CT scan campaign

The Radiology Department at Dammam Medical Complex, in cooperation with the Health Education Department, organized an event on lung cancer, coinciding with the Cancer Awareness Month, which included a number of awareness and educational pillars on the importance of early detection and ways to prevent it. November 2021 Early detection campaign for lung cancer by CT scan according to the requirements that the age is between 55 and 77 years, and the person has been a smoker for 30 years at the rate of one pack per day or its equivalent, or a person is a current smoker or has quit smoking within 15 years Or that he is over 50 years old, and has smoked for 20 years at a rate of one pack per day or its equivalent, provided that there are chronic diseases, a previous medical history in the family, a previous infection with cancer, or the presence of risk factors.

Behavioral and environmental reasons

Lung diseases are among the most dangerous and most deadly diseases in the body due to their pivotal position in the human body, and because of the importance of the lung, the person must pay attention to it and protect it from dangers, especially smoking, the first cause of lung cancer.

The percentages indicate that lung cancer affects approximately 85% of people around the world and is considered one of the most prevalent types of cancer. The causes of this disease are multiple, including behavioral reasons such as smoking, and environmental reasons such as working in painting and dyeing works and living in industrial cities, where factories abound. Its air is polluted with carbon emissions, or causes related to the person’s medical history, such as female breast cancer, which may lead to the spread of cancer to the lung due to its location directly behind the breast, or it may be genetic genetic causes.

Penalties for indoor smokers

There are causes for the occurrence of the disease, on the other hand, there are ways to prevent it. We will address these solutions by asking a group of people how to limit the spread of this disease, and what are the appropriate solutions that they see:

Considering the first and most common cause of lung cancer, which is smoking, many see the necessity of enacting penalties and imposing fines by the competent institutions on violators of the law, which stipulates not to smoke in closed places such as restaurants, cafes and workplaces, and many indicated their suffering from the phenomenon of smoking in workplaces. Non-compliance with the laws of the departments, nor caring for the condition of those who suffer from chronic chest diseases. Strict laws and high fines are supposed to be put in place and they are subject to legal accountability for non-compliance with the laws. Such behavior indicates the individual’s lack of responsibility and lack of awareness of the greatness of the mistake he is making, and doctors warn against the passive smoker, who inhales smoke emitted from the smoker’s mouth or nose. As it is prone to lung cancer, despite not smoking.

Awareness of the role of quit centers and clinics

Community awareness is one of the most important steps that contribute to eliminating bad phenomena and promoting good habits, and we in the Corona pandemic are the best proof of the great efforts and the prominent role played by the media and social networking sites to serve social responsibility and educate the largest possible segment and on the widest scale that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been able to Saudi Arabia can overcome this pandemic. Through this, these means can be adapted and harnessed to spread the idea of ​​interest in health, quitting smoking, and raising awareness of the role of centers and clinics, which help to quit smoking and qualify them to return to a normal life. We note that many are ignorant of the existence of such centers or doubt that The credibility of the treatment due to the fact that not much was talked about, and the media did not shed light on the recovering through media interviews or participation in motivational videos.