Importance of early cancer diagnosis

Cancer has been a part of the research for a long time now.

The existing clinical knowledge about cancer depends upon a triad:

• Diagnosis (knowledge)
• Operation
• Irradiation

One of these imperative triad is diagnosis.

Diagnosis is operative if it is in the initial stages of the disease. Cancer is treatable if the time and position of disease spread are in initial phases. Therefore, the main focus should be earlier identification of the disease. Early detection is key because it may make the cancer treatable if it is still confined to a specific part of the body. However, if the cancer has spread before it is discovered, it may make the cancer less treatable. Therefore, it is very important that early detection tests and exercises are made available, and this is especially true in Africa to reduce the mortality rate from Cancer.

Screening is the process of testing people in order to identify a disease , before they show symptoms. Typical examples  include using mammography as a breast screening method for women over a certain age, or who are at risk of developing breast cancer. Another is the use of pap smears for cervical cancer screening. This phenomenon gives rise to cancer consciousness. This continuous alertness lets us suspect for cancer if the symptoms are exhibiting in an individual.

What are the benefits of an earlier cancer diagnosis?

In 2018, there were more than 18 million cases of cancer. Five million cases were oral, colorectal, cervical, and breast cancer. Early diagnosis, detection, and screening can significantly:

• Improve the survival rates of the patients
• Improve the quality of care and quality of life
• Reduce the complexity, complications, and cost of the cancer treatment

Most cancers can be diagnosed at an early stage. Early stage diagnosis, coupled with appropriate , coupled with the appropriate intervention can:

• Improve the survival rate beyond five years , unlike advanced stages
• Improve the eradication of the cancerous cells effectively

In the US for example, the survival rate for a woman in later stages for her cervical cancer is 15%. While for a woman in earlier stages of cervical cancer, the survival rate is about 93%.

An earlier cancer diagnosis can also reduce treatment costs. According to estimates, the total cost of treatment in the initial stages are 2-4 times less than the later stages in high-income countries.

Barriers to early diagnosis of cancer

There are different socio-economic, psychological, and physical barriers to early cancer diagnosis as:

• Poor awareness of health
• Feelings of anxiety, shame, or fear
• Age
• Issues with gender

The age of the patient interacts with someone’s ability to receive and communicate about symptoms of the disease. This factor makes children more vulnerable to developing cancers as they are not able to easily spot symptoms and cancer may have been advanced before being diagnosed.

Societal norms as masculinity and lack of awareness about men’s health lead to rejection of help-seeking behavior. Some of the cultural beliefs also play their part as a barrier to earlier detection of cancer.

According to a 2018 report, one in four people did not seek medical intervention even after showing symptoms early. This was because of the fear of what they thought they would find, and anxiety.

Which cancers are treatable with early identification?

• Breast cancer

The earlier identification of breast cancer can increase the survival rate for more than five years in every nine out of ten patients.

• Lung cancer

The earlier diagnosis of lung cancer can increase a few years life expectancy in 80% of the patients. 15% of patients, at later stages, die within one year of their diagnosis.

• Ovarian cancer

If a patient receives earlier screening of ovarian cancer, she can increase her life expectancy for more than five years in 80 percent of the cases. About five percent of patients, in later stages, die within a year of their diagnosis.

• Bowel cancer

The earlier screening and identification of bowel cancer can increase the life expectancy to more than five years in most of the patients.

These examples show the effectiveness of earlier diagnosis to improve prognosis and increase life expectancy among patients.

Early cancer detection in low-income countries:

Earlier detection of breast cancer is significant for a reduction in mortality in high-income countries. In low-income countries as Africa, there is a delay in the implementation of these screening programs due to socio-cultural, financial,  and logistical constraints

The earlier detection of cancer is equally effective in even lower-income countries like India. According to a study, 78% of women had an increase of five years of life expectancy in earlier stages of a cancer diagnosis, while 9% of women survived in later stages.

In lower-income countries, limitations to access to pathology services and technologies for diagnosis can prevent the population from getting an earlier diagnosis.

According to the studies of sub-Saharan Africa, earlier identifications and interventions as:

• Mammography screenings
• Colonoscopy screenings
• A smear test for cervical cancer is cost-effective even when you couple them with the intervention.

It is crucial to increase cancer awareness among the population, doctors, nurses, healthcare providers, and other professionals. It is essential to detect cancer in earlier stages to maximize the benefit of primary care. Doctors must refer the patients to labs if they suspect  even a minor symptom of cancer disease.

However, the key thing to note is you are responsible for your health, and any symptoms should be checked out immediately by your doctor to increase any chances of treating cancer if it is diagnosed as such.

References

1. https://www.who.int/cancer/detection/en/#:~:text=detection%20of%20cancer-,Early%20detection%20of%20cancer,action%20leads%20to%20early%20diagnosis.
2. https://globalizationandhealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12992-018-0446-6
3. https://www.bmj.com/content/364/bmj.l408
4. https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/cancer-symptoms/why-is-early-diagnosis-important