WORLD CANCER DAY 2023

The first of August is honoured annually as World Lung Cancer Day. People all over the world mark this very significant day in an effort to prevent lung cancer cases. The goal of this day is to spread as much awareness as you can about lung cancer while urging people to get screened for it.

The focus of World Lung Cancer Day 2022 this year is on getting tested for biomarkers to emphasize their significance to people.

Lung cancer is one of the most prevalent malignancies in the world, responsible for 18 lakh patient deaths a year, or 20% of all cancer-related deaths. In poorer nations, it is also one of the most prevalent tumors in men. Lung cancer is a type of cancer that starts in the lungs and is most frequently found in smokers, including those who have never smoked as well as those who have been exposed to secondhand smoke.

In 2012, the Forum of International Respiratory Societies, in association with the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer and the American College of Chest Physicians, launched a campaign to raise awareness of lung cancer and related issues. The most well-known group in the world devoted only to issues surrounding lung cancer and spreading awareness of it is the World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC).

Lung cancer symptoms can go undetected in the early stages. Therefore, if you experience certain symptoms, such as a cough that lasts longer than two weeks, a change in a chronic cough or "smoker's cough," coughing up blood, difficulty breathing, chest pain, wheezing, hoarseness, unexplained weight loss, bone/joint pain, fatigue, headache, inflammation on the face or arms, or facial paralysis, it is advised that you see a doctor.

In the treatment of cancer, we have been able to develop tailored approaches by identifying different mutations and associated routes, and by focusing on the pathway, we are able to block the same, thereby treating cancer. The EGFR, KRAS, and ALK genes are the ones most frequently found to have genetic alterations in lung cancer.