DOCTORS have announced the publication of the first comprehensive report on cancer services in Cyprus.
The book, entitled Cancer Services in Cyprus, holds the work of 36 doctors and oncologists over three years and is the first of its kind in Cyprus. Its three editors, Gregorios Christodoulides, Helen Soteriou and Andis Nicolaides agreed that the aim of the project was to review the current services for cancer available in Cyprus and provide recommendations or changes that may be needed in order to fulfil European quality criteria and standards of care.
Its contributors hope the book will also be a point of reference for future advances in the fight against cancer in Cyprus and worldwide.
The book includes important proposals that could form the development of cancer services on the island for the next decade. There is currently no national strategy to combat cancer, and much of the work is left to private organisations and charities.
Christodoulides said yesterday the country had long needed to record the services available and identify the weaknesses in order to promote the efforts to improve services available to cancer patients.
The report on cancer services is split into five parts: prevention, screening, diagnosis and therapy, surgical oncological services and palliative care.
AKEL deputy and oncologist, Adamos Adamou, told reporters this was the first book in Cyprus to contain such detail and raised issues on how to deal with cancer such as the need for a national strategy plan.
He highlighted that cancer cases could be reduced in many areas by screening and early detection.
Soteriou maintained that cancer services in Cyprus were not well co-ordinated at present. She acknowledged that all generally used drugs for chemotherapy were offered to patients and up to date radiotherapy equipment and highly qualified and experienced oncologists were available. But she stressed that the existence of two separate sectors of medical practice, the government and the private sector, was creating problems in the co-ordination of services.
The third part of the book reviews the present situation and outlines the possible establishment of a Cancer Network to provide organised services to a population of about one million people. This network envisages a designated cancer centre with peripheral cancer units arranged to be co-ordinated into one service.
“The existing situation is unacceptable and as various future plans are being considered we hope that further background knowledge and impartial factual basis may help those responsible and all who are working in the cancer field to be able to reach the right decisions,” said Soteriou.
National Cancer Director for England, Professor Mike Richards, commended the network model in the foreword, saying, “We have found this very valuable in the UK”.
Christodoulides highlighted the fact that cancer had now become a leading cause of death for men and women all over the world. According to his report, in the last two decades, lung cancer has become the most prevalent malignancy in men and the second most prevalent in women. It is responsible for more deaths than the combined mortality from breast, prostate and colon cancers. He states that at least 90 per cent of lung cancers are related to cigarette smoking, and yet 25 per cent of the EU population continues to smoke.
The idea of preparing and publishing the report came from Constantinos Lordos. Christodoulides thanked him for his initiative and for being personally involved throughout, giving encouragement and economic funding for the whole project. “Without him, this book wouldn’t have come about,” he added.
