FOURTH EDITION OF THE NATIONWIDE PREVENTION AND EDUCATION CAMPAIGN "SERVIER - TURN OFF CANCER!" IS LAUNCHED.
- Colorectal cancer is the third most common type of cancer worldwide, with almost 2 million cases diagnosed in 2020.
- Colorectal cancer is the second most common cause of death from malignant tumours, meaning that one million people worldwide die from the disease each year. This is despite the fact that there are effective screening techniques that can reduce mortality.
- In Poland, 19 000 new cases are diagnosed each year. Colorectal cancer - is the second most common malignant neoplasm in Poland in women and the third in men.
- The fourth edition of the nationwide prevention and education campaign "Servier - turn off cancer!", under the slogan "Colonoscopy is not space", is starting. The organisers aim to educate people about colorectal cancer prevention and to convince Poles to undergo preventive examinations.
COLORECTAL CANCER - FACTS AND PROGNOSIS
International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), operating within the structures of World Health Organisation (WHO), reports that colorectal cancer is the third most common type of cancer worldwide. Almost 2 million new cases were diagnosed in 2020. Each year, nearly one million people die from colorectal cancer, making it the second most common oncological cause of death.
Additionally, based on the trend analysis, it is estimated that there will be a global increase of 56 per cent in colorectal cancer cases between 2020 and 2040, exceeding 3 million new cases per year. Consequently, mortality from this cancer is also expected to be 69 per cent higher, reaching approximately 1.6 million deaths per year. It is noteworthy that these projections indicate that most of this increase will occur in countries with high rates of human development.
As reported Digestive Cancers Europe (DiCE), the European organisation representing gastrointestinal cancer patients, eight out of 100 Europeans are likely to develop colorectal cancer during their lifetime. It is now the second most common cancer in women and the third most common cancer in men in Europe, with half a million new cases diagnosed each year. On the Old Continent, colorectal cancer accounts for more than 12 per cent of all cancer-related deaths - it was responsible for more than 240,000 deaths in 2021.
In Poland, colorectal cancer is also the second most common malignant tumour in women and the third in men, with more than 19 000 patients diagnosed annually. Unfortunately, it is the cause of death for more than 12 000 people each year in Poland, which amounts to an average of 35 deaths a day from colorectal cancer. The number of patients is increasing all the time. National Cancer Registry in Poland forecasts that by 2030, the number of new cases of the disease in our country could increase to 28 000 per year.
COLONOSCOPY IS NOT A COSMOS! - GET YOURSELF EXAMINED AND FIND OUT!
Colonoscopy is an examination that simultaneously combines elements of diagnosis and allows polyps that may become malignant over time to be removed. In addition, it makes it possible to diagnose various diseases of the large intestine, control treatment and carry out interventions for many gastrointestinal diseases. It provides the opportunity to diagnose and, most importantly, offers the chance to completely cure cancerous lesions at an early stage of the disease. During colonoscopy, it is also possible to take mucosal sections for histopathological examination. The examination is now carried out using a modern, precise and technically advanced endoscope.
"Turning 50 is reason enough to have a prophylactic colonoscopy, which is the standard for detecting polyps, precancerous lesions and cancer. The examination serves to catch disease even before symptoms appear. However, many myths have grown up around colonoscopy and, as a consequence, the majority of the public have their own, often misleading, perception of how this examination is carried out. I wish that the attitude of the Polish people towards colonoscopy would change so that they would see colonoscopy as an examination that makes sure the patient is healthy and not as an examination that reveals something wrong with him or her. Prophylactic colonoscopies can reduce the risk of colorectal cancer by up to 60-90 per cent. It really is worth getting tested, it pays off." - convinces Prof. Dr. Jarosław Reguła, National Consultant in Gastroenterology, Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Clinical Oncology of the Medical Centre for Postgraduate Education, Department of Oncological Gastroenterology of the National Cancer Institute - National Research Institute.
4TH EDITION OF THE CAMPAIGN
"Servier - Turn Off Cancer!" is a nationwide prevention and education campaign aimed at promoting cancer prevention, raising public awareness of risk factors among Poles, as well as motivating people to overcome their fear and shame of being tested and emphasising the importance of early detection of the disease for effective treatment.
In this year's campaign, the organisers emphasise the special role of prevention in relation to factors that increase the risk of colorectal cancer and draw attention to worrying symptoms that may indicate the first signs of the disease. The campaign's communication is aimed in particular at people who are in a high-risk group due to: age over 50, genetic predisposition, occurrence of colorectal cancer in parents or siblings, poor diet, low physical activity, smoking or alcohol abuse.
This year's slogan 'Colonoscopy is not outer space' draws attention to the fact that colonoscopy is not something mysterious, incomprehensible, distant, beyond our reach, but on the contrary, it is a modern, safe examination that is the most perfect method of preventing colorectal cancer.
The campaign plans include:
- educational film
"With Hoe to Cancer... or colonoscopy in questions and answers". featuring popular cabaret artist Robert Motyka and Professor Michał Kamiński, MD, Head of the Department of Cancer Prevention and the Endoscopy Laboratory of the Department of Gastroenterology Oncology of the National Cancer Institute - National Research Institute. The discussion is a kind of step-by-step instruction for viewers on how best to prepare for a colonoscopy. In addition, the discussion dispels potential doubts and answers the most common questions about colonoscopy.
- Servier Bowel Cancer Prevention Virtual Clinic
A dedicated ICT platform is being launched from 9 May to 9 June 2022, enabling the benefit from free laboratory tests and medical consultations via teleportation, chat or video chat. Registration takes place via the Telemedico helpline, available from Monday to Friday from 10.00 to 18.00 on +48 22 307 49 94 (the cost of the call in accordance with the tables of charges of telecommunications operators), where you should provide the consultant with the data necessary to book an e-consultation appointment, i.e. your name, surname, PESEL number, address of residence, contact telephone number and optionally e-mail address.
As part of the campaign, every registered person can benefit from a free preventive FIT (faecal occult blood) laboratory test, carried out at the diagnostic point closest to their place of residence. The test results obtained will be available for consultation with a doctor. During the teleportation, the doctor will evaluate both the test results and the data collected as part of the interview and, on this basis, will make appropriate recommendations available to the patient on a dedicated platform at: https://wylaczraka.telemedi.co/pl/login. In the event of a positive FIT, or despite a negative result but the presence of numerous indications in the medical history, the doctor may order a colonoscopy, which the patient will be able to perform free of charge under general anaesthesia at the facility indicated by the consultant.
- educational materials
Colonoscopy in questions and answers, Colonoscopy - a test that can save lives, Visualisation of the large bowel with description) available to all on www.wylaczraka.pl and the board game Colonoscopy is not a cosmos, which can be won in competitions organised on the FB profile of the campaign www.facebook.com/wylaczraka.
"Following on from the slogan of this year's Campaign, colorectal cancer does not come from the moon. We know how necessary it is to educate and continuously raise public awareness about the risk factors and prevention of colorectal cancer, which is why we are happy to be back with the 4th edition after a two-year break due to the difficult time of the pandemic. This year we are organising the Campaign mainly in the online space and we want to reach the widest possible audience with our educational message. As in previous editions, we want to raise awareness of how real the threat of colorectal cancer is, but at the same time emphasise that it can be reduced by changing behaviour and taking preventive action. It is for this reason that the second pillar In addition to education, the campaign is, as always, offering free preventive examinations. This time, we warmly invite you to have a laboratory FIT test and, in case of a positive result, also a colonoscopy." - explains Ewa Ciepałowicz, CSR and Internal Communications Manager of Servier Poland, organiser of the prevention and education campaign "Servier - turn off cancer!" and adds: "Deeply We believe that by building public awareness of risk factors and taking action preventive services can curb the increasing incidence and mortality of colorectal cancer."
Patronage of the fourth edition of the prevention and education campaign 'Servier - turn off cancer' was assumed by the National Consultant for Clinical Oncology, the Polish Union of Oncology and the Polish Society of Clinical Oncology.
Campaign partners were: Europa Colon Polska Foundation, POL-ILKO Polish Stoma Society, Polish Coalition of Oncology Patients, Alivia Onkofundacja and Rak'n'Roll Foundation. Win Life!
For more information on the campaign, visit: www.wylaczraka.pl and on the profile facebook.com/wylaczraka.