There are more and more oncology patients

OCTOBER has arrived, and we, oncology patients, are around you in increasing numbers, unfortunately. I think this is a real pandemic that has its own course, full of pain and uncertainty.

According to the estimate of the International Agency for Research on Cancer, based in Lyon, 3.184 people fell ill with cancer in Montenegro during the previous year, and 1.765 died as a result of malignancy.

The registry of patients has only been maintained since 2013, and the number is increasing.

The corona pandemic has greatly contributed to slowing down normal functioning for this most vulnerable group of patients.

Cancer is only diagnosed in stages, treatment methods include surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and hormone therapy, depending on the type of cancer.

The topic and story related to October was covered by the media and will remain so until next year. We oncology patients have a lot of questions and we seek answers mostly by ourselves, and we should also get those answers through the media and in cooperation with doctors, so that they are not a taboo topic.

What bothers every patient is the survival rate - of 5, 10, 20, 50 percent. Of course, even after successful treatment, doctors are reluctant to use the word "cured" because cancer cells can hide for years.

What happens when someone is diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer? This means that the cancer cells have traveled to other parts of the body. Because breast cancer can spread in 3 ways: from the breast to the surrounding areas, such as the lymph nodes under the arm or near the collarbone, then through the bloodstream and through the lymph node system to the lungs, liver, bones and sometimes to the brain.

In a January 7, 2021, study in the journal Cell, cancer center scientist Catherine O'Brien and her team found that all cancer cells, not just a subset of them, when under threat have the ability to go into a state of "hibernation" that they are used by animals, such as bears, during hibernation.

How much do we know or not know about fat cells, their age, insufficient oxygen, exercise for recovery in oncology patients, because the side effects are identical and a story in itself?

We talk a little about nutrition after all, including nutritionists. And only about the lymphatic system, which is the system of all cancers and also the main immune system, because every cell produces waste, and it is reflected in the swelling of our hands, legs, and stomach.

To what extent are we equipped with advocacy apparatus, professional staff, physiotherapeutic clinics, or centers for treatment and the quality of the rest of life, and that everything is in one place? We still don't have any.

The community, society and, first of all, the Ministry of Health should take a little more interest in this category of patients, regardless of age and type of cancer. Appeals to go for controls and cooperation of NGOs and medical offices in this regard are to be commended and give results in timely detection of the most common cancer in women - it concerns the breast and cervix.

When will we in Montenegro have Five Scans, considering pensions, salaries and social group, or are we still just numbers labeled and marked with C20, C50, etc.?

We have the staff, but we need teamwork without vanity, conditions for doctors and us patients, so there will be more cured and fewer sick, because the disease does not choose.

October passes, days, years go by, pink balloons scatter, the pink necklace is torn, symbolic ribbons on the lapels in the assembly benches, and we are not better at all.

We are left night and day with the questions of whether we are cured or just healed. Numbers for registrars.

We pinks have our own language, we understand each other best through silence, anger and eternal struggle with ourselves. And that is the most difficult.