Early Diagnosis Can Raise Five-Year Survival in Lung Cancer Above 90 Percent

Speaking at the 14th National Thoracic Surgery Congress in Antalya, Eroğlu, chief physician of Atatürk University Research Hospital, said early diagnosis of lung cancer is vital. According to Eroğlu, the five-year survival rate can exceed 90 percent when the disease is caught early, and can fall below 10 percent in the late stage.

Risk and symptoms

Eroğlu said about 10 million people die of cancer worldwide every year, roughly 2.5 million of them from lung cancer. Stressing that smoking is the main cause, he advised people with a persistent cough, bloody sputum, weight loss, loss of appetite or shortness of breath to see a doctor. He added that smokers should get screened under a physician's supervision according to their risk, and that people with a family history of lung cancer should be aware of their risk.

Despite improvements in medical treatment, keyhole surgery, surgical and robotic systems and smart drugs, unfortunately survival time becomes very short when lung cancer is diagnosed late. That is why cancer doesn't kill, late diagnosis does.

Eroğlu

Advances in treatment

Eroğlu explained that operations once performed by opening the chest can now be done through a few small incisions with the help of a camera. He said this shortens recovery, and that after some major operations patients can be discharged within a few days.

Noting that immunotherapy and smart drugs have widened treatment options and that new-generation drugs make treatment more comfortable for some patients, Eroğlu also pointed to the role of the immune system in cancer development.

Every person carries the risk of getting cancer 100 times in a lifetime. If our immune system is at a very good level, it prevents that cancer, but when the immune system collapses, cancer starts to grow and spread through the body.

Eroğlu