Sensitization Can Be Key To Cancer Control

Information, through a well planned sustainable advocacy, can bring awareness to the people to know the dangers of cancer and the risk unsuspecting people may face from tobacco smoking and exposure to cancer causative substances. Information Dissemination, through the collection, analysis, and dissemination of information useful in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer can be critical to saving lives of millions of people.

Lung Cancer is mostly linked to exposure to cancer-causing substances: this includes exposure to asbestos in the mining or construction industries. Also exposure to certain industrial substances like coal products, nickel chromate, vinyl chloride, and exposure to some organic chemicals like chloromethyl ethers.

However, the most common cause of lung cancer is tobacco smoking.

The Rome 8 January 2004 report of the Food and Agricultural Organization of The United Nations (FAO) states, “Higher world tobacco use expected by 2010.”

The FAO says “number of smokers is growing - production shifting to developing countries”

The Rome 8 January 2004 report further states “World tobacco demand is expected to increase until the year 2010 due to population and income growth, but at lower rates than in the past, according to a new study published by FAO.

That while in developed countries tobacco smoking is set to continue to decline; in developing countries consumption will increase (Projections of tobacco production, consumption and trade to the year 2010).

The report states that world tobacco production is projected to reach over 7.1 million tonnes of tobacco leaf in the year 2010, up from 5.9 million tonnes in 1997/99.

“The number of smokers is expected to grow from 1.1 billion in 1998 to around 1.3 billion in 2010,” according to the report, adding that this is an increase of about 1.5 percent annually.

Despite the overall increase of tobacco use, FAO expects consumption per adult to decline by around 10 percent by 2010, and that individual consumption will probably be around 1.4 kg per year (from around 1.6 kg in 2000).

FAO said applying an aggressive anti-smoking and anti-tobacco policy, tobacco consumption per person could even drop by 20 percent.

The World Health Organization (WHO) also states that cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide accounting for 7.4 million deaths (around 13% of all deaths) in 2004, that Lung, stomach, liver, colon and breast cancer causes the most cancer deaths each year.

WHO also states that more than 30% of cancer deaths can be prevented and that tobacco use is the single most important risk factor for cancer.

  “Deaths from cancer worldwide are projected to continue rising, with an estimated 12 million deaths in 2030.”

Taking a cue from the FAO and WHO, there is a dare need of radical advocacy campaigns against tobacco smoking if cancer must be controlled.

The fight against cancer and Lung cancer in particular, needs remedial measures that must be proactively implemented to save the millions of people in Africa and other third world nations from activities that might expose them to the disease.

Public smoking of tobacco is in high use among people in Africa, and Sierra Leone is no exception. There is always the potential for infants, children and non-smokers to fall victims of lung cancer.

Taking into consideration the high rate of illiteracy and poverty, with the prevailing poor standard of health facilities in Africa coupled with expensive medicare, sensitization will help save many from the disease.

People must be made to know, in all forms of communication, that the most common cause of lung cancer is smoking. That smoking causes lung cancer because there are substances called carcinogens that cause the actual damage to the cells in the lungs. That a cell that is damaged may become cancerous over a period of time.

In Sierra Leone today, it is common for parents to smoke with their infants on their lap, smoking while on public vehicle, smoking in public places, and even in schools. This practice does not only encourage children and youths into the habit, but expose non smokers to the hazards of second hand smoking which increase their risk.

The Sierra Leone Government in 2009 banned all forms of tobacco smoking at the Government building, Youyi Building, in Freetown. The action is to discourage the practice in public buildings, especially Government buildings. But will this help solve the problem? I am sure it will not, until the campaign is taken down to the grassroots before then can we assure ourselves that the campaign to protect Sierra Leoneans from lung cancer is on course.

Sierra Leone today is faced with the task of rehabilitation and restructuring processes after a war that lasted for almost 11 years. The Government is not only faced with the challenge of building back the broken infrastructure, but has to contend with the problem of unemployment and poverty, and in its quest to pursue these goals, all sorts of investments opportunities are sort after worldwide. We’ve heard of companies violating international protocols on safety standards in the work place and Sierra Leone in her pursuit may risk her citizens through exposures to asbestos and other cancer causative substances, either in the mining or construction industries.

Sierra Leone has recently made tremendous effort in the mining industry by signing agreements with different mining companies to mine iron ore and explore oil in the offshore. The country is also rich in diamonds, bauxite, rutile and gold, among others. However these investment opportunities are directly or indirectly linked with activities that if not properly controlled, may expose the many people to be employed.

This is why it is high time we lobby Government for better health policies to b made to law.

Research suggests that some people are more at risk for developing cancer if their body is not as easily able to deal with certain cancer-causing chemicals. This inability to neutralize cancer-causing chemicals is believed to be inherited.

Researchers also believe that in some people, when they come into contact with certain cancer-causing agents, their immune system, instead of neutralizing them, will actually make these agents more aggressive within the body. Such people, therefore, would be more sensitive to tobacco smoke and chemicals known to cause cancer.

No Data On Cancer

It is sad to note that while cancer is taking high toll on people world wide, Sierra Leone is yet to get a statistical record of Sierra Leoneans suffering from the disease. These lapses cannot be disassociated with the war but now that we are building back our broken economy we must endevour to ensure all Sierra Leoneans get screening opportunities for early cancer detection, especially lung cancer.

What Is Lung Cancer?

Lung cancer is an uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in one or both of the lungs.

The body is made up of different types of cells that normally divide and multiply in an orderly way. These new cells replace older cells. This process of cell birth and renewal occurs constantly in the body. Abnormal cells also periodically normally appear but are removed by natural defense mechanisms. Cancer, also known as a malignant growth, occurs when:

When the body's natural defenses, such as certain parts of the immune and other protective systems, cannot stop the uncontrolled cell division, cancer begins.

These abnormal cells become greater and greater in number, and come together to form a tumor, which is a cellular growth that forms a progressively enlarging mass. Such tumors are benign unless they invade surrounding tissues and organs, in which case they are malignant.

Cancerous tumors grow out of control and can invade, replace, and destroy normal cells near the tumor. In some cases, cancer cells spread (or metastasize) to other areas of the body.

Lung cancer generally takes many years to develop even though damage to the lungs may occur shortly after a person is exposed to cancer-causing substances.

With this information, it is worthy to note that Computed tomography (CT scan) and other forms of chemotherapy treatments are expensive in Sierra Leone. People suffering from cancer ailments had to sort outside the country for standard treatment, more especially in Ghana.

Radionuclide scanning and bone scans are a dream to most Sierra Leoneans, not even mentioning photodynamic therapy used during clinical trials for tumors in the main central airways that either recur after surgery or chemotherapy.

Why using the media to save third world countries?

Medical treatment for some forms of cancer is expensive, and lung cancer in its severe state involves expensive diagnosis and treatment. This therefore puts to greater risk poor people who may not have the finances to pay for medicare.

Being that we now know most of the causes can be controlled leaves us with no choice but to utilize the most effective means of cure, communication and proactive sensitization campaigns worldwide.

Strategies and mode of campaigns may defer from one country to the other, but Rowaca Cancer Group – Sierra Leone (RCG-SL) believes that engagement with the people through the Print and Electronic Media, cultural shows and community meetings can be vital to the campaign.

RCG-SL also believes that targeting young people in primary and secondary schools, and those in tertiary institutions can be more effective to making the consciousness widely. This is borne from the imperative of going public to control cancer because cancer is the global health concern of the 21^st century.

RCG-SL is supporting the Livestrong Global Cancer Campaign to making the campaign possible, because we believe that the numbers are staggering with more people dying from cancer than AIDS, TB and malaria combined. This disease knows no boundaries. And the impacts are significant.

 By 2030, it is estimated that more than 12 million people around the world will die of cancer each and every year. And many, many more will be touched by this disease. But it doesn't have to be this way.

We know how to control cancer. If we applied what we already know, we could cut the rate of cancer deaths by as much as half over the next generation worldwide. Millions of lives can be saved through prevention, early detection and diagnosis, treatment, supportive care and research are critical drivers.

Cancer leaders from around the world recognize that much can be done today to significantly reduce the impact of cancer. There is a need to come together, to connect in new ways, to collaborate like never before. And by working together through concerted action, cancer can be controlled collectively. We need to collaborate to engage with those that weren't present to play a critical role in this global effort.

Credit FAO and WHO