Filenews 8 February 2022
One in four Cypriots will be affected by cancer during their lifetime, while about 42 new cases of children aged from 0 to 19 years old are diagnosed with cancer and leukaemia annually in Cyprus, he said during a press conference on the occasion of World Cancer Day and World Children's Cancer Day.
In the context of the conference, which took place in the presence of representatives of Cancer Patients' Associations and which was organized by the Organization of State Health Services (CYSO), the important work that is being done daily in the Oncology Departments of the Nicosia General Hospital and the Limassol General Hospital, as well as in the Paediatric Oncology Clinic of the Makarios Hospital, was presented.
During the conference, important data were presented in relation to cancer in Cyprus.
As it was said according to the estimates of the World Cancer Observatory "GLOBOCAN" (WHO), which are based on data from the Cyprus Cancer Archive until the year 2018, approximately one in nine citizens of Cyprus dies of cancer by the age of 75, while it is estimated that in Cyprus one in four will be affected by cancer during their lifetime.
In relation to the cases of children and adolescents with cancers of any kind nationwide, it was reported that in addition to the 1,500 cases of children with cancer and related, serious haematological or oncological diseases at various stages of monitoring and treatment, they are treated annually in the Paediatric Oncology Paediatric Haematology Clinic of the Makarios Hospital, while it was noted that in 2021 about 30 new cases of cancers have been diagnosed and treated in this Clinic.
In his address, the Deputy Executive General Director of the Organization, Kypros Stavridis, assured that the Organization "stands by the side of cancer patients and their families", underlining that "the fight against cancer is continuous and the CySEC is present, offering specialized services to the Oncology Departments of its hospitals".
Presentation of the work of the Oncology Departments
Presenting the profile of the Oncology Department of Nicosia General Hospital, the Director of the Department, Dr. Rena Ioannou said that, "the Oncology Department of Nicosia General Hospital operated in 1964 under the direction of Dr. Ioannou. Dimitris Souliotis and was the first Oncology Department to operate in Cyprus".
As noted in 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 Radiotherapeutic 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", said Ms. Ioannou.
On his part, the Director of the Oncology Department of the Limassol General Hospital, Dr. Simon Malas noted that "the Oncology Department of the Limassol General Hospital was created in November 2004", to note that the Department operates three outpatient clinics on a daily basis, the Oncology ward with 16 beds on the fifth floor, the short-term hospitalization ward on the fifth floor with 10 comfortable armchairs (Day Care), the cytostatic drug dissolution laboratory and an outpatient clinic once a week (Tuesday) on the ground floor of Paphos General Hospital.
According to Dr. Mala, in the Oncology ward there are multi-day chemotherapies, blood transfusions, hydrations, palliative medicine, treatment of infections, cancer pain and other symptoms, while in the short-term hospitalization ward "patients after undergoing chemotherapy, which can last from 15 minutes to 6 hours, go to their homes, after being informed of the date of their next visit".
Moreover, the Director of the Pediatric Oncology Clinic of the Makarios Hospital, Dr. Eleni Papachristodoulou, said that the Clinic is the only centre of tertiary care of children and adolescents suffering from cancer and leukaemia, acute and chronic benign haematological diseases - excluding thalassemia and clotting disorders.
He also said that in addition to the 1,500 cases of children with cancer and related, serious haematological or oncological diseases at various stages of monitoring and treatment, they are treated at the Clinic annually.
In addition, he said that the Clinic is responsible for monitoring children after bone marrow transplantation, long-term monitoring of survivors of childhood cancer, as well as for monitoring children and their families with cancer predisposition syndromes.
The Director of the Paediatric Oncology Clinic of the Makarios Hospital also mentioned that the Clinic has 14 beds with the possibility of extension to 19 in terms of inpatient hospitalization and 8 beds regarding daily 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 in relation to cancer in Cyprus, the Assistant Director of the Oncology Department of Nicosia General Hospital, Dr. Georgios Ioannidis reported that, according to the estimates of the European Cancer Information System (ECIS), in the year 2020, 4,989 new cases were recorded (2,739 in men and 2,250 in women), while in the same year 2,430 patients died from the disease (1,436 men and 994 women).
Citing the same evidence, Dr. Ioannidis said that the three most common types of cancer that affect men in Cyprus are prostate cancer with a frequency of 30%, lung cancer with a frequency of 16% and colon cancer with a frequency of 14%.
He also noted that the corresponding most common types of cancer in women are breast cancer with a frequency of 34%, the thyroid gland with a frequency of 10% and the colon with a frequency of 8%.
As for mortality, Dr. Ioannidis said that the three cancers responsible for the most deaths in Cyprus are in men lung cancer with 24%, prostate cancer with 13% and colon cancer with 11%, and in women breast cancer with 20%, followed by cancers of the colon and lung with a death rate of 11%.
The former Director of the Paediatric Oncology Clinic of the Makarios Hospital was honoured
During the event, the CySEC awarded an honorary plaque to the former Director of the Paediatric Oncology Clinic of the Makarios Hospital, Dr. Loizou Loizou, as a sign of the minimal recognition and appreciation of his multifaceted work.
It is noted that Dr. Loizou, who offered his services for more than 30 years, was the man who envisioned and founded the Paediatric Oncology Clinic of the Makarios Hospital.
It is the only centre for the diagnosis and treatment of children and adolescents with cancer and leukaemia in Cyprus.
By awarding the honorary plaque, the Deputy General Executive Director of the CySEC assured him that the Organization will continue its work, with the aim that no child will lose the battle with cancer and leukaemia and no family of children with cancer or leukemia will fight alone.
For his part, Dr. Loizou, after thanking the CySEC for the honour, said that he feels very happy, because with his departure from the public service, he left behind, as a bequest, a Department with an excellent team of doctors and nurses, dedicated to their work, with great love and devotion for the child with cancer.
He also said that he will be constantly available to support in any way the team of doctors and nurses, based on his many years of experience and within the framework of his university and research activity and taking into account that he will not be privately involved.
CNA
