Every day in Belgium, 16 people die from lung cancer and 25 others learn daily that they have the disease.
A day of action to raise awareness of lung cancer was organized this Saturday at Brussels central station.
In order to avoid the worst, it is important to recognize the warning signs. “The first symptoms are, for example, shortness of breath, coughing up blood, sudden weight loss, but also chest pain…”explains the organizer of the operation. “But also often, there are no first symptoms. This is what is difficult with the early diagnosis of lung cancer.”
Smoking remains the most important risk factor, but other factors must now be taken into account, such as the environment, pollution and the presence of fine particles.
Some figures
The Cancer Foundation recalls the importance of early diagnosis – currently, 70% of cases are diagnosed at an early stage – and of even more effective treatments.
In Belgium, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality, with 5,716 deaths in 2021. It is the second most common cancer, both in men and women, with 9,410 new cases in 2022. according to figures from the Cancer Registry Foundation.
But the 5-year survival rate for this cancer is only 29%, which is low, points out the Foundation, and partly due to late diagnoses. Indeed, for 68% men and 65% women, lung cancer is detected at stages 3 and 4, already metastasized.
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