February 4 marks the observance of World Cancer Day. Physicians underscore the significance of proactive prevention, timely detection, and dispelling common misconceptions about cancer.
Each year, on the fourth of February, the globe commemorates World Cancer Day. Its intention is to heighten understanding regarding cancer, remind individuals about the value of preventive measures and prompt identification, and also to lend support to individuals coping with this diagnosis. Oncologist Andriy Gardashnikov and Deputy Director for Surgical Care of the KNP KMKOTS, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor Dmytro Osinsky, shared further details with the UNN journalist concerning cancer, methods for early ascertainment, and strategies for self-protection.
How cancer occurs
Our physical forms comprise countless cells that constitute our tissues. Every cell possesses a nucleus encompassing genes ordered on chromosomes. These genes communicate to the cell when to proliferate, operate, segment, and cease to exist. Ordinarily, cells adhere to these directives, and we maintain well-being.
Nevertheless, when abrupt alterations manifest within the DNA molecule, or it sustains detriment, this is termed a mutation. Should injury befall a segment of a vital gene, this precipitates a mutation of that gene. Mutated genes malfunction, owing to the confusion in their DNA directives. This can culminate in cells that ought to be quiescent commencing vigorous division, with their quantity escalating uncontrollably. Such deviant mutated cells, entirely dissimilar to conventional ones, generate a cancerous growth, clarifies the Center for Public Health of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine.
Incidence statistics
As per the National Cancer Registry, upwards of 100,000 instances of malignant neoplasms are detected in Ukraine on an annual basis.
The most prevalent malignant neoplasms among women are the mammary gland (22.2%), the uterine corpus (10.1%), whereas among men, they are the prostate gland (14.9%), trachea, bronchi, lungs (13.3%),
Furthermore, from January 1, 2025, a directive from the Ministry of Health concerning the protocol for screening and early diagnosis of breast cancer, cervical cancer, and colorectal cancer, alongside monitoring the health of patients from risk categories, has been operative within Ukraine.
Early diagnosis, or what everyone needs to know about cancer
There lingers a pervasive conviction within society that early diagnosis of oncology constitutes a catalog of examinations that necessitate execution “just in case.” However, medical reasoning functions distinctively: cancer is not a singular ailment but rather a comprehensive array of disparate diseases, each harboring its unique risk determinants and detection methodologies, asserts oncologist Andriy Gardashnikov.
The term “cancer” embodies a remarkably expansive notion. There is neither presently nor conceivably a solitary analysis or examination capable of demonstrating that an individual is devoid of any form of cancer. These encompass scores of distinct diseases, and the strategy for diagnosing each diverges. Consequently, there exists no universal examination “for cancer”
– the doctor explains.
The physician identifies the family doctor as a pivotal figure in the realm of prevention and prompt detection of cancer. This individual evaluates age, lifestyle, heredity, and existing risk elements to ascertain whether an individual necessitates screening evaluations.
It is advisable to refrain from self-prescribing tests and instead consult your family doctor. This professional operates in accordance with endorsed screening agendas and possesses the capacity to determine which evaluations are pertinent for the individual in question and which are not. Screenings do not exist “for cancer universally” but rather for specific oncological diseases and defined risk cohorts
– the doctor emphasizes.
Concurrently, there exist so-termed visual or self-monitoring modalities of cancer. Attentiveness to one's own physique can serve as the preliminary stride toward early identification.
There exist forms of cancer that an individual can suspect independently. For instance, breast cancer frequently comes to light via self-examination, wherein a woman detects a mass. The identical principle pertains to skin cancer – alterations in moles, the advent of neoplasms. Nevertheless, even in such scenarios, solely a physician can ascertain a definitive diagnosis subsequent to a comprehensive examination.
– explains the oncologist.
A distinct predicament lies in the apprehension surrounding the diagnosis itself. According to Andriy Gardashnikov, it is this psychological hurdle that frequently precipitates delayed treatment, when the ailment has already advanced to an evolved stage.
Individuals harbor trepidation not so much toward the disease as toward the term “cancer”. They defer a consultation with the doctor, predicated on the notion that ignorance equates to the absence of a predicament. However, oncology does not constitute an irrevocable sentence. Numerous forms of cancer, when addressed in their nascent phases, can be effectively treated or rendered manageable
– emphasizes Andriy Gardashnikov.
“Cancer persists as an emotionally unsettling experience for individuals, the affliction eliciting unease even via its nomenclature. Notwithstanding the fact that it cannot be asserted that oncological diseases represent an unequivocal decree. And irrespective of the multitude of other ailments that can bear no lesser perils. Furthermore, it is tenable to posit that all individuals are unique. And myriad instances of prosperous cancer management abound.”
A salient attribute of cancer is that, in its initial phases, the majority of instances engender no symptoms whatsoever. This explains why individuals often remain oblivious to the ailment until it commences progression.
In its incipient phases, cancer frequently manifests no indicative symptoms. Doctors frequently unearth cancer in its formative stages incidentally, during assessments conducted for wholly divergent rationales. This constitutes one of the underlying factors necessitating a concentration on prevention as opposed to awaiting the emergence of symptoms.
– notes Andriy Gardashnikov.
In conjunction with examinations, risk constituents assume a substantial role, with numerous facets contingent upon lifestyle, articulates Deputy Director for Surgical Care of the KNP KMKOTS, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor Dmytro Osinsky. Among the most commonplace: smoking, alcohol consumption, excess mass, inactivity, infections, exposure to ultraviolet irradiation, persistent stress, and imbalanced nutrition. A subset of these can be regulated independently by an individual.
An individual genuinely possesses the capacity to exert influence over numerous risk constituents: regulating mass, abstaining from smoking, abstaining from alcohol consumption, modifying one's dietary approach, engaging in augmented physical exertion, receiving vaccinations against human papillomavirus and hepatitis. It remains paramount to circumscribe the ramifications of stress and pursue affirmative sentiments.
– explains the professor.
The physician underscores that it is not invariably advisable to await a scheduled examination. Certain symptoms mandate immediate consultation with a specialist, notwithstanding recent completion of an examination. These encompass generalized alterations in health that may portend grave predicaments.
Attention ought to be directed toward unprompted persistent debilitation, intractable anemia, sanguineous discharge from the vagina or during defecation, nausea, anorexia, an abrupt reduction in body mass, as well as trauma to the nevus or an alteration in its configuration or pigmentation. In such circumstances, it remains preferable to seek consultation with a physician forthwith rather than deferring until the subsequent professional examination.
– emphasizes Dmytro Osinsky.