Prof. Dr. Berrin Pehlivan stated that during the Covid-19 period, cancer screenings decreased by 90 percent, and the number of cancer patients who could not be treated because they could not be diagnosed increased.
Stating that the rate of diagnosis of cancer patients has decreased, since cancer screenings are only performed at a rate of 10%, Prof. Dr. Berrin Pehlivan said, “Before the pandemic, we used to say that although the incidence of cancer increased, with the developments in science and technology, up to 30 percent, patients recovered from cancer more than 30 percent. However, the latest figures from the American Cancer Institute scared us. According to these figures, lung cancer diagnosis in 2020 While the rate decreased by 46.8 percent, these rates were determined to be 50.5 percent for breast cancer, 46.8 percent for prostate cancer, 67.1 percent for skin cancer called malignant melanoma, and 54.2 percent for colorectal cancers.”
Emphasizing the importance of diagnosis and uninterrupted treatment, Pehlivan said, “Decreased diagnosis does not mean a decrease in the incidence of cancer, it means that there are cancer patients who cannot be treated because they cannot be diagnosed. It is not a possibility, it is a possibility that we will be harmed by Covid-19, but that we will suffer from our chronic disease that we do not treat.”
Cancer is now a preventable and treatable disease
Cancer occurs as a result of the uncontrolled and abnormal growth of normal cells in our body. As a result of cancer cells replacing healthy cells, the affected organs become unable to function properly. Today, high rates of success can be achieved in cancer diseases, which are among the treatable diseases, with early diagnosis and uninterrupted treatment.
It is possible to continue treatments with radiosurgery
About 200 thousand people are diagnosed with cancer every year in Turkey. Due to the effect of the pandemic, many people with chronic diseases, especially cancer, could not be provided with adequate health services or patients preferred to interrupt their treatment. In this process, it is very important that cancer patients diagnosed with cancer do not interrupt their treatment and do not waste time. Radiosurgery method can be applied in many types of cancer in almost every part of the body. The radiotherapy technique that destroys the tumor by giving a very high dose of radiation at once is called radiosurgery. It is important that the surgical attachment does not mislead anyone, because it is not a cutting, piercing procedure. Radiosurgery was previously applied to tumors that were located around critical organs or in areas that were difficult to surgically remove. Studies published over time have shown that it gives results on par with surgery in many localizations, and this easy method has been successfully applied to more and more patients. In the current process, it can be easily applied to almost any tumor in any part of the body, not only in the brain, but also in the lung, prostate, pancreas and liver. Although the results of radiosurgery are mostly the same as surgery, it is a very simple application for the patient; no pain and no pain. The process ends with the patient lying on the treatment device for about half an hour without moving.
So, what should cancer patients pay attention to during the Covid-19 process?
- Continue your treatment without interruption.
- Pay attention to your nutrition, sleep, cleanliness and personal care.
- If you have noticed the early sign of cancer, consult your doctor as soon as possible, do not miss your chance of early diagnosis.
