Ondokuz Mayıs University (OMU) Faculty of Medicine Department of Basic Medical Sciences Faculty Member Prof. Dr. Bülent Çetin said, “We should fear being late more than cancer itself. Early diagnosis is crucial. What should we do as a society for early diagnosis? We need to participate in screening programs.”

Prof. Dr. Bülent Çetin stated that cancer is a widespread disease in society.

Dr. Çetin stated that the most commonly seen types of cancer in Turkey are lung cancer in males and breast cancer in females. He also mentioned that smoking, alcohol consumption, dietary habits, and environmental and familial factors play significant roles among the causes of cancer.

Dr. Çetin emphasized that cancer can occur in every age group and highlighted the importance of increasing awareness about cancer among people during Cancer Week, which takes place from April 1 to April 7, to raise awareness about cancer.

Dr. Çetin explained that people can protect themselves from cancer with simple measures and emphasized that the first step is proper nutrition, and the second is quitting smoking."

Dr. Çetin stated that many types of cancer can be prevented by not smoking, saying, "For example, when we look at cases of head and neck cancers and bladder cancers, almost all patients are smokers. In a large percentage, 80-90%, the most important factor is smoking. So, we can actually protect ourselves with simple measures such as being careful with our dietary habits. There's a lot we can do ourselves."

"Cancer is a treatable disease."

Dr. Çetin stated that cancer is a treatable disease, but people often have fears about it, and continued as follows:"

"When we mention cancer, people often develop fear. However, in our country, we are currently achieving good results in cancer treatment. In Turkey, various treatment methods, including surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and targeted therapies, are applied to most patients. Cancer is a treatable disease. We can cure many types of cancers, especially in young individuals, such as testicular tumors, leukemias (blood cancers), and lymphomas (lymph node cancers). In childhood cancers, we can completely cure the patient of the disease. We have many patients whom we follow and treat successfully."

"It is not cancer itself, but the fear of not taking early action that should be emphasized," noted Prof. Dr. Çetin, and added the following:

"We should fear not being proactive rather than fearing cancer itself. Early diagnosis is crucial. What should we do as a society for early diagnosis? We should participate in screening programs. The Ministry of Health in Turkey has implemented standardized screening programs. For example, after a certain age, such as 50, a fecal occult blood test should be done annually. Women should undergo mammography annually after age 40 and learn how to perform self-breast examinations. Some patients should also perform self-breast examinations more frequently. This is also an important method; the earlier we detect cancer, the better the outcomes. For colon cancer, fecal occult blood test or colonoscopy should be done after age 50."