World Lung Cancer Day, Doctors Talk about the No.1 Killer Cancer
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1 August 2019 08:00 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Lung Doctors Association (PDPI) relentlessly reminds the public about the dangers of smoking as the world lung cancer day is annually commemorated on August 1st.
Lung cancer is widely considered to be the most lethal of all cancers as it is blamed for the highest death rate.
“The number keeps on climbing and is considered as the number one cause of death from all of the cancer types for both men and women,” said lung cancer practitioner Dr. Sita L. Andarini in a press conference on Wednesday.
According to Sita, 1.7 million people die each year from this disease - that can most certainly be attributed to cigarette smoking lifestyle – and defeats other types of cancers as the world’s main cause of death bar breast cancer, colorectal cancer, and prostate cancer combined.
Out of Indonesia’s lung cancer patients, 11.2 percent of them are women, which according to a statistic of patients checking in to Rumah Sakit Umum Persahabatan (Persahabatan general hospital) has increased by ten-folds compared to 15 years ago.
“RS Persahabatan received 2,458 lung cancer patients in 2018,” said Sita.
Meanwhile, PDPI Chairman Dr Agus Dwi Susanto said that one out of five deaths by cancer can be attributed to lung cancer and strongly urges the government to put more attention into lung cancer by enforcing a better regulation against tobacco exposure, strict rules regarding pollution and industry, and protection for workers that are exposed to carcinogenic elements.
ANTARA