One in four Cypriots will get cancer in their lifetime, while about 42 new cases of children aged 0 to 19 years are diagnosed with cancer and leukaemia annually in Cyprus, it was reported during a press conference to mark World Cancer Day and World Childhood Cancer Day.
During the conference, which was held in the presence of representatives of Cancer Patients' Associations and organised by the State Health Services Organisation (SHSO), the important work that is done on a daily basis in the Oncology Departments of Nicosia General Hospital and Limassol General Hospital, as well as in the Paediatric Oncology Clinic of Makarios Hospital, was presented.
During the conference, important data were presented in relation to cancer in Cyprus.
According to the estimates of the Global Cancer Observatory "GLOBOCAN" (WHO), which are based on data from the Cyprus Cancer Registry, by the year 2018 approximately one in nine Cypriots will die of cancer by the age of 75, while it is estimated that in Cyprus one in four people will be affected by cancer during their lifetime.
In relation to the incidence of children and adolescents with all forms of cancer nationwide, it was reported that in excess of 1.500 cases of children with cancer and related, serious haematological or oncological diseases at various stages of monitoring and treatment are treated annually at the Paediatric Oncology and Paediatric Haematology Clinic of Makareion Hospital, while it was noted that in 2021 about 30 new cases of cancer have been diagnosed and treated at this Clinic.
In his address, the Deputy Executive Director General of the Organization, Cyprus Stavridis, assured that the Organization "stands by cancer patients and their families", underlining that "the fight against cancer is continuous and OKYPY is present, offering specialized services in the Oncology Departments of its hospitals".
Presentation of the work of the Oncology Departments
Presenting the profile of the Oncology Department of the Nicosia General Hospital, the Director of the Department, Dr. Rena Ioannou, said that "the Oncology Department of Nicosia General Hospital opened in 1964 under the direction of Dr. Dimitris Souliotis and was the first Oncology Department to operate in Cyprus".
As he noted, at the Oncology Department of Nicosia General Hospital, cancer patients receive multifaceted and comprehensive care, with the exception of Radiotherapy services, for which we cooperate with the existing Radiotherapy Centres.
"Our goal was and remains the quality care of patients and for this reason we hope that in the future the Department will be further developed and will continue to play an important role in the fight against cancer", Ms. Ioannou pointed out.
For his part, the Director of the Oncology Department of Limassol General Hospital, Dr. Simon Malas noted that "the Oncology Department of the Limassol General Hospital was created in November 2004", noting that the Department operates three outpatient clinics on a daily basis, the Oncology ward with 16 beds on the fifth floor, the short-stay ward on the fifth floor with 10 reclining chairs (Day Care), the laboratory for the dissolution of cytostatic drugs and an outpatient clinic once a week (Tuesday) on the ground floor of the Paphos General Hospital.
According to Dr. Mala, in the Oncology ward, multi-day chemotherapy, blood transfusions, hydration, palliative medicine, treatment of infections, cancer pain and other symptoms are carried out, while in the short-stay ward "patients after undergoing chemotherapy, which can last from 15 minutes to 6 hours, go home after being informed of the date of their next visit".
In addition, the Director of the Pediatric Oncology Clinic of Makareio Hospital, Dr. Eleni Papachristodoulou, said that the Clinic is the only tertiary care centre for children and adolescents suffering from cancer and leukaemia, acute and chronic benign haematological diseases excluding thalassaemia and coagulation disorders.
She also mentioned that in addition to the 1.500 cases of children with cancer and related, serious haematological or oncological diseases at various stages of follow-up and treatment are treated at the Clinic annually.
In addition, he mentioned that the Clinic is responsible for the follow-up of children after bone marrow transplantation, long-term follow-up of childhood cancer survivors, as well as for the follow-up of children and their families with cancer predisposition syndromes.
In addition, he mentioned that the Clinic is responsible for the follow-up of children after bone marrow transplantation, long-term follow-up of childhood cancer survivors, as well as for the follow-up of children and their families with cancer predisposition syndromes.
The Director of the Paediatric Oncology Clinic of Makareios Hospital also mentioned that the Clinic has 14 beds with the possibility of expansion to 19 beds for inpatient hospitalization and 8 beds for day hospitalization, while she added that it maintains daily outpatient clinics and a laboratory for the study of bone marrow morphology, the only one in Cyprus for the study of difficult paediatric haematological cases.
Statistics
Presenting data on cancer in Cyprus, the Assistant Director of the Oncology Department of the Nicosia General Hospital, Dr. George Ioannides, said that, according to the estimates of the European Cancer Information System (ECIS), 4,989 new cases (2,739 in men and 2,250 in women) were recorded in the year 2020, while in the same year 2,430 patients died from the disease (1.436 men and 994 women).
Citing the same data, Dr. Ioannidis said that the three most common types of cancer affecting men in Cyprus are prostate cancer with an incidence of 30%, lung cancer with an incidence of 16% and colorectal cancer with an incidence of 14%.
He also noted that the corresponding most frequent types of cancer in women are breast cancer with a frequency of 34%, thyroid gland cancer with a frequency of 10% and colorectal cancer with a frequency of 8%.
Regarding mortality, Dr. Ioannides said that the three cancers responsible for most deaths in Cyprus are lung cancer in men at 24%, prostate cancer at 13% and colorectal cancer at 11%, and breast cancer in women at 20%, followed by colorectal and lung cancers at 11%.
The former Director of the Pediatric Oncology Clinic of Makareio Hospital was honored
During the event, OKYPY presented a plaque of honor to the former Director of the Pediatric Oncology Clinic of Makareio Hospital, Dr. It is noted that Dr. Loizou, who offered his services for more than 30 years, was the person who envisioned and founded the Pediatric Oncology Clinic of Makareion Hospital.
It is noted that Dr. Loizou, who offered his services for more than 30 years, was the person who envisioned and founded the Pediatric Oncology Clinic of Makareion Hospital.
This is the only centre for the diagnosis and treatment of children and adolescents with cancer and leukaemia in Cyprus.
Presenting the plaque, the Deputy Executive Director General of OCYPY, assured him that the Organization will continue its work, with the aim that no child loses the battle with cancer and leukemia and no family of a child with cancer or leukemia fights alone.
For his part, Dr. Loizou, after thanking OKYPY for the honor, said that he felt very happy because with his retirement from public service he left behind, as a legacy, a department with an excellent team of doctors and nurses, dedicated to their work, with great love and dedication for the child with cancer.
He also said that he would be constantly available to support the team of doctors and nurses in any way possible, based on his many years of experience and within the framework of his university and research activities, and bearing in mind that he would not go into private practice.
Source: CNA
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