Oncology screening, Sardinia struggles and the ministry rejects it: «Improve prevention»
The Island records a score of 46.55, well below the pass mark set at 60. Only half of those eligible are invited to mammography screening, numbers are even worse for colorectal cancer.(Handle)
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« In Italy, in 2023, 395,000 new cancer diagnoses were estimated: 208,000 in men and 187,000 in women… ».
This is the incipit of “The numbers of cancer 2023”, a document published annually by AIRTUM, the Italian Association of Tumor Registry. New diagnoses of many, too many tumors are increasing: breast, colorectal, lung. Unfortunately, even in very young subjects .
What is done to prevent its onset or at least for an early diagnosis in order to improve the prognosis? Too little or sometimes nothing. The magic word would be "prevention". Sardinia, however, wears the "red" jersey of prevention, that is, the one of insufficiency in the essential levels of assistance: 46.55 is the value notified by the Ministry of Health, well below the minimum sufficiency score of 60 .
Screening for breast, cervical and colorectal cancer, which fall into the secondary prevention category, have disastrous performances on the Island . AIRTUM speaks of a southern issue. For mammographic screening, Sardinia guarantees the invitation to only 50.8% of the eligible population. Even more disastrous numbers for colorectal screening .
Added to all this is the lack of a Tumor Registry of Sardinia , which would allow us to define the epidemiological context in a timely manner, allowing for better political-health and clinical planning. The time has come to stop the propaganda activities on the importance of prevention and take action: the people, Sardinia want a change of pace in politics.