Former Prime Minister Alfred Sant said that raising awareness on the illness of colorectal cancer across Europe is the best feasible way by which to counter, among our populations, the colorectal threat, magnified by the temptation of ignoring it till too late. Half a million Europeans are diagnosed with colorectal cancer every year in Europe. Half of them will die of the disease. “Getting that number down as fast as possible is a priority. Raising awareness on a European basis makes sense by way of pooling knowledge and practice, improving methods of designing health policies for prevention, not least in the delivery of screening which as we know, is the best tool for prevention.” said Dr. Sant.
Dr. Sant hosted the ‘Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month’ at the European Parliament in Brussels with the participation of leading experts in the field. “We do not need a centralised direction at European level, of anti-colorectal programmes and measures. But widespread coordination of national efforts would surely reinforce the message for prevention and for screening. Current initiatives by the Commission and other actors to strengthen the fight against colorectal cancer merit our full backing,” he told the Conference.
Dr. Sant said the European Commission is doing well in encouraging further cooperation between our member states in combating colorectal cancer. Beyond the seventeen states which are participating in a coordinated approach to screening, the rest must also be encouraged to take part. Cooperation and information sharing should also be encouraged by all. For instance, the collection of data about the occurrence of the disease and a harmonised method by which to classify it, would be greatly useful.
Dr. Sant said cancer is a moving target. It takes different forms, assumes different development scenarios, follows different time scales. Worse, it arouses different fears among those who contract it, as well as their relatives and friends: fear of the unexpected, fear of the pain, fear of the reactions of others, fear of premature death.
“I am here too as a survivor. Eight and a half years ago, I began to notice I was becoming breathless when going upstairs or walking fast. I postponed asking for medical help. My excuse: I was afraid I was developing heart problems and luckily they would go away all by themselves. So it is not just embarrassment about rectal blood that makes people keep back from taking corrective steps for a colon condition they discover in themselves.
When I finally went to a doctor, the colon cancer was so advanced that it only needed to expand a further millimetre to become generalised. I am convinced that awareness of the threat posed by colorectal cancer, acceptance and widespread promotion of screening to detect cancer would constitute the best available response to contain problems like the one I faced.
If detection comes early enough, we are told, the treatment too becomes simpler, avoiding the need following surgery for chemotherapy. My luck in this up to now, has been that the chemotherapy I was given came in pill form. It did have some complications though, which I would not wish on my worst enemy.” Dr Sant told Coference participants.
Follow Dr Sant’s intervention on the link below:
Maltese Version – INŻIDU L-GĦARFIEN BIEX INNAQQSU R-RISKJU TAL-KANĊER
Alfred Sant qal li ż-żjieda tal-għarfien tal-kanċer fil-musrana huwa l-aħjar għodda għall-prevenzjoni tal-kanċer madwar l-Ewropa. Aktar għarfien jgħin biex tonqos it-tentazzjoni li n-nies jinjoraw is-sintomi sakemm ikun tard wisq. Kull sena jimirdu nofs miljun Ewropew bil-kanċer tal-musrana. Nofshom imutu minħabba din il-marda. “Il-prijorita` hija li dan in-numru jitnaqqas. Żjieda fl-għarfien fuq livell Ewropew jagħmel ħafna sens, kemm biex tinqasam l-informazzjoni u l-prattika, kemm biex jitjiebu l-metodi ta’ kif tkun disinjata politika għall-prevenzjoni u mhux l-inqas biex isir l-iskrining, li għal issa huwa l-aħjar għodda għall-prevenzjoni.” qal Dr Sant waqt konferenza li organizza fil-Parlament Ewropew fi Brussell għax-Xahar tal-Għarfien tal-Kanċer tal-Musrana bis-sehem ta’ esperti ewlenin fil-qasam.
“Ma għandniex bżonn ta’ direzzjoni ċentrali fuq livell Ewropew, ta’ programmi u ta’ miżuri. Madanakollu, koordinament mifrux tal-ħidmiet nazzjonali żgur li jsaħħaħ il-messaġġ għall-prevenzjoni u għall-iskrining. L-inizjattivi attwali tal-Kummissjoni u ta’ persuni oħra mmirati biex jiġġieldu l-kanċer tal-musrana jixraqlu l-appoġġ tagħna.” qal l-Ewroparlamentari Malti.
Dr Sant qal li l-Kummissjoni Ewropea tagħmel tajjeb meta tinkoraġġixxi aktar għaqda bejn l-istati membri favur il-ġlieda kontra l-kanċer tal-musrana. Lil hinn mis-sbatax-il stat membru li qed jipparteċipa fi proġett tal-iskrining, il-kumplament tal-istati membri għandhom ikunu mħajra jieħdu sehem ukoll. Il-kooperazzjoni u t-tixrid tal-informazzjoni wkoll għandhom ikunu inkoraġġati minn kulħadd. Pereżempju, il-ġbir ta’ informazzjoni dwar kemm hi komuni din il-marda u metodu armonizzat li biha tkun ikklassifikata din il-marda, ikun ta’ ġid kbir.
Dr Sant qal li l-kanċer jinbidel u jiċċaqlaq. Jieħu forom differenti, jikber b’mod differenti u jieħu żminijiet differenti. Agħar minn hekk, iqanqal ħafna beżgħat fost dawk li jimirdu bih, fil-familjari tagħhom u fil-ħbieb tagħhom: iqanqal il-biża’ ta’ dak li ma tafx, il-biża’ tal-uġigħ, il-biża’ tar-reazzjoni tal-oħrajn, il-biża’ ta’ mewta bikrija.
“Jien qiegħed hawn bħala wieħed li rbaħt il-marda. Tmien snin u nofs ilu, innutajt li kont qed naqta’ nifsi meta kont nimxi ngħaġġel jew nitla’ xi taraġ. Qgħadt nipposponi biex infittex għajnuna medika. L-iskuża tiegħi kienet din: kont qed nibża’ li qed niżviluppa xi problemi tal-qalb u kont qed nittama li kienu se jitilqu waħedhom. Mhux biss il-mistħija dwar id-demm mill-musrana ġġiegħel lin-nies jibqgħu lura milli jieħdu azzjoni għall-kundizzjoni fil-musrana li jiskopru huma stess.
Meta fl-aħħar mort għand tabib, il-kanċer tal-musrana tant kien avvanzat li kien jonqsu jespandi biss millimetru ieħor biex jiġi ġeneralizzat. Jien konvint li l-għarfien tat-theddida ta’ dan il-kanċer, l-aċċettazzjoni tiegħu u l-promozzjoni tal-iskrining biex jinqabad il-kanċer, huma l-aħjar metodi biex nirrispondu u nikkontrollaw it-tip ta’ problemi li għaddejt minnhom jien.
Jgħidu li jekk il-kanċer jinqabad kmieni biżżejjed, it-trattament ikun aktar sempliċi. Wara l-operazzjoni tkun eliminata l-ħtieġa għal kemjoterapija. F’dan kollu x-xorti tiegħi kienet li l-kemjoterapija li kelli bżonn kienet f’forma ta’ pillola. Xorta kellha ftit komplikazzjonijiet, li ma nixtiqhom fuq ħadd, l-anqas fuq l-ikbar għadu tiegħu.” qal Dr Sant lill-esperti preżenti.
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