Lung Cancer: The Deadliest Cancer in Iran

The head of the 12th Congress on Pulmonology and Intensive Care, emphasizing the role of tobacco and air pollution in lung diseases and cancer, said: ‘Among all cancers, none is deadlier in Iran or worldwide than lung cancer.’

The chairman of the 12th Lung and Special Care Congress, emphasizing the role of smoking and air pollution in the occurrence of lung diseases and cancer, said: Among cancers, no cancer in Iran and the whole world is more deadly than lung cancer.

According to Ambassador Arjan, citing Ambassador Arjan Mustafa Qanei, the head of the 12th International Congress of Lung Diseases and Special Care in a press conference pointed out the emergence of new threats to health, including electronic cigarettes with various flavors, a significant increase in the contribution of air pollution to the occurrence of lung diseases and a decrease in the age of lung cancer.

This congress is related to respiratory diseases and is the twelfth edition organized by the Lung Association.

He added: "In this congress, we will investigate new harms to health; One of the most important of them is the field of air pollution and the other is cigarettes and tobacco with new technologies. Today we see that, for example, 4 generations of electronic cigarettes have been recommended and offered, and about 2000 different flavors have been added to it.

Qanei recalled: This issue has created two issues: first, it has increased the scope of use among young people, and second, while doctors were already familiar with the diseases caused by traditional cigarettes, new additives create emerging diseases that doctors must know how to treat.

The professor of lung diseases said: On the other hand, lung diseases are spreading every day due to the industrialization of the country. When the country begins to industrialize, industrial pollution and occupational diseases are added, which did not exist at all, for example, in the last 50 years.

He clarified: Therefore, the person who gets a lung specialty today must be familiar with completely new issues. Also, there are other points that are specific to Iran and other countries do not have them; For example, the use of opium (opium) and hookah, which is a special feature of our country and is not seen in European countries.

Regarding whether you have statistics on the amount of consumption of these substances and what are the most common lung diseases in the country according to these factors and air pollution? He said: We have a document in hand that shows that the situation is changing. Previously, almost all obstructive lung diseases (i.e. blockage of the airways) were caused by smoking. Qanaei noted: But today we see that the share of smoking has decreased; Not in the sense that smoking has not increased, but there are other factors that contribute 50% to the development of lung diseases; including industry and air pollution.

He continued: Air pollution has now reached the point where it causes effects similar to smoking in the lungs.

The professor of lung diseases stated: If we doubted before that air pollution causes lung blockage but does not cause cancer, last year it was proved that lung cancer also increases with air pollution.

Qanei added: These are points that people should know. The reason for the presence of the media is that this work was not done by the lung specialist alone; We are standing at the end of the road and we see the disease that has developed, but we can be a signal to the authorities and tell what we are seeing. According to the professor of lung diseases, the age of cancer that we used to see at an advanced age, we are now seeing at a younger age, and this shows that the amount of damage has increased a lot.

What is your approach regarding lung diseases in women and what are the consequences? Regarding women, smoking in Iranian women used to be below 1 or 2%, but now it is increasing.

Qanei noted: When we see the symptoms of obstructive diseases in women, it becomes worrying; Because we may say that there is no difference between men and women, but this woman is going to become a mother, have a child, and the effects of these diseases will be placed on the fetus and the next generations. Therefore, these are all the warnings that we, as lung specialists, who are standing at the end of the road, face every day.

Chairman of the Iranian Lung Congress, do you have new statistics of lung cancer in the country that show its increase? He said: Look, in terms of mortality, we can say that obstructive lung diseases have the fourth rank of mortality in Iran. But among cancers, the flag of death is lung cancer! It means that no cancer in Iran and the whole world is more deadly than lung cancer.

Qanei expressed: In the whole world, with screening, they have been able to diagnose the disease earlier and, for example, give the patient 5 years more life, but no one has been able to eradicate it. For this reason, we are on the side of the issue that 30% of cancers in Iran are related to tobacco and this is something that can be eliminated. He added: We now have more than 200,000 to 300,000 people with cancer. This means that about 100,000 cases can be reduced, and this is an issue that must be solved by educating people.

The professor of pulmonary diseases noted: These cases should determine what education should do, what the municipality, the Ministry of Health, and the Ministry of Health each have to do. All these cases became a text that was reviewed by the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution and announced by the President just a month or two ago in order to clarify the duties of each institution.

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