Some people fear to call cancer by name; others refuse to even talk about it. Many would rather not know whether they have cancer and even refuse screening.
Cancer brings with it fear of the unknown but many do not realise that today life expectancy has gone up from five years to 10 years and in the case of some cancers that are diagnosed and treated early there is also a high chance of complete cure.
In simple terms, cancer is a group of more than 100 diseases that develop across time and involve the uncontrolled division of the body’s cells. Although cancer can develop in virtually any of the body’s tissues and each type of cancer has its unique features, the basic processes that produce cancer are quite similar in all forms of the disease.
Today, cancer is the disease that is on the top of the health agenda of all the countries of Europe and the wider world. Collective efforts, collaboration and joint forces across borders are leading to huge developments in the initial diagnosis and, consequently, therapeutic care for cancer patients with very good results.
Currently, about one in three people in the Maltese islands will develop cancer at some stage in their lives and one in four will die of the disease. There are about 1,500 new cases of cancer listed in the Malta National Cancer Register annually and something like 800 deaths are attributed to cancer every year in Malta.
These figures illustrate very clearly what a serious a challenge the prevalence of cancer is in our country. We all know that these figures present a close to mirror-image of the situation prevailing in many European countries, a reflection of the situation in most countries across the globe!
Over the last two decades there has been a steady development of actions taken to combat cancer in Malta. These actions encompass the four vertical pillars of cancer control: primary prevention, secondary prevention, integrated care (including palliative care and psycho-oncology) and research. All these components are covered in depth in the National Cancer Plan 2011-2015 launched last February, which is being supported by a budget of €12 million.
The overarching approach of the National Cancer Plan is to put cancer patients and their families at the centre of the health system. With the support of the European Union, a new oncology hospital is well on its way to serve the needs of the country.
These are all initiatives being taken by the ministry I steer, by the government of this country. We take much pride in what we are committed to as a country but we also fully appreciate that we need to work closely with other countries, to pool resources, to travel together in our journeys that seek to address the challenges posed by this disease.
For the size of our population, these figures are more than a valid reason for us to focus on cancer and work strategically to fight it with all our strength! I have made it my personal goal (as a minister) to work in the field of oncology and cancer and really make a difference in the lives of many patients and their families.
Some 50 per cent of cancers are preventable by choosing a healthy lifestyle. Also, early diagnosis gives a much better chance of cure and a better quality of life. We (as a ministry) are making our efforts to reach out to all our citizens through information, education and screening.
I strongly appeal to all members of our society to be aware of our free services and make good use of them. We can only fight cancer collectively and not individually. We must always keep in mind that, as British journalist John Diamond said: “Cancer is a word, not a sentence.”
Dr Cassar is Minister for Health, the Elderly and Community Care.