A study was released by the Cancer Foundation in Switzerland
A study by researchers from the Cancer Foundation shows that smoking accounts for 80% of lung cancer-related deaths in both men and women in Brazil.
The publication was presented by the foundation at the 48th annual meeting of the Group of Epidemiology and Cancer Registry in Latin Language Countries (GRELL 2024) in Switzerland.
In an interview with Agência Brasil, epidemiologist Alfredo Scaff, medical advisor to the Cancer Foundation, stated that the study aims to inform social initiatives to prevent the disease. “Lung cancer is directly related to smoking. Technically, we can say that it is behind the vast majority of cancers we have both in the world and in Brazil today,” he said.
Electronic Cigarettes
Alfredo Scaff believes that electronic cigarettes — or vapes — may contribute to an even greater expansion in the percentage of lung cancer deaths caused by tobacco. “Electronic cigarettes are a way to introduce young people to the habit of smoking.” The epidemiologist noted that nicotine is the most addictive legal drug. The expert emphasized that the idea of using electronic cigarettes to quit smoking is controversial, as it often leads to addiction. “It will undoubtedly lead to the development of cancers and other diseases that we didn’t even have before,” he added.
Vapes cause a severe and acute lung disease called EVALI, which can lead to death, in addition to an additional problem: the battery in these cigarettes can explode and has caused severe burns to many smokers. “It is a product that has worsened the entire smoking scenario.”
Expenses
The study indicates that lung cancer generates expenses of R$ 9 billion per year, including treatment, loss of productivity, and patient care. The tobacco industry, on the other hand, covers only 10% of the total costs of all lung cancer-related diseases in Brazil — about R$ 125 billion per year.
“Smoking not only causes lung cancer, it leads to the destruction of teeth, oropharyngeal injuries, emphysema [chronic obstructive pulmonary disease], hypertension, acute myocardial infarction, stroke [AVC], or cerebrovascular accident. It causes a huge number of other diseases that directly raise public spending on treatment, and indirectly through loss of productivity, social security, early retirements as a result, and so on,” said Scaff.
This year, the National Cancer Institute, Inca, estimates 14,000 cases in women and 18,000 in men across Brazil. Global data from the International Agency for Research on Cancer, analyzed by researchers from the Cancer Foundation, show that if the smoking behavior pattern continues, there will be an increase of over 65% in the incidence of the disease and 74% in lung cancer mortality by 2040 compared to 2022.
The study also reveals that many patients are already at an advanced stage of the disease when seeking treatment. This occurs in both the male population (63.1%) and female population (63.9%). The pattern is repeated across all Brazilian regions.
Source: Agência Brasil