Cancer prevention events are held in Moldova to mark World Cancer Day

A series of events including seminars, roundtables as well as medical consultations to prevent cancer, with a particular focus on children and secondhand smoke exposure, will be held throughout the week in Chisinau, Balti, Cahul and Ocnita, to mark the World Cancer Day on February 4, Info-Prim Neo reports. Data from the Moldovan Oncological Institute show that the incidence of malignant tumors in Moldova remains alarmingly high, as the rate of primary malignancies grows every year. According to preliminary data, there were recorded 7,567 primary malignancies in 2008, compared with 7,501 in 2007 (7,361 in 2006, and 6,952 in 2005). According to Moldovan Deputy Health Minister Oleg Lozan, cancer is an aggressive disease which causes enormous socioeconomic losses. Among the diseases registered in Moldova, cancer ranks 12th in terms of incidence, but it is the country's number two killer and the third leading cause of disability. In 2008, colorectal cancer was the most widespread form in 2008, with 12 percent of the total, followed by breast cancer with 11.8 percent, lung cancer with 11.4 percent, and skin cancer with 10 percent. The incidence of tumors in children represent 3 percent of the total. Most malignancies found in children – 75 percent – are congenital, and the children whose mothers smoke ore are exposed to secondhand smoke during pregnancy are twice more likely to develop the disease. Oncological Institute director Dumitru Sofroni says that smoking, together with passive smoking (exposure to secondhand smoke), is one of the leading causes of malignant tumors. WHO estimates that 40 percent of cancer cases may be prevented by quitting smoking cigarettes, pursuing a healthy lifestyle and eating healthy food. “Detection of cancer in children can be difficult, therefore the parents must systematically have their children examined by a doctor. The first symptoms that should put the parents on the alert are inexplicable and constant loss of weight, headaches and vomit in the morning, acute pains in bones and joints, lumps and swellings, white spots on the pupil, excessive bleeding after wounding, fatigue, etc.”, Dr. Sofroni said. A host of surveys showed that most forms of cancer can be prevented by leading a healthy lifestyle, which should be adopted since childhood. Examples of modifiable cancer risk factors include alcohol consumption, smoking, exposure to the sun, obesity, and a fat-rich diet. Daily consumption of fresh fruit and vegetable and fiber-rich cereals, avoiding stress and frequent visits to the doctor should be a simple and effective piece of advice to prevent cancer. 6 sessions of treatment for cancer for one person in Moldova involves costs of 195,000 lei a year.