While Turkey has been virtually drowning in cigarette smoke since the pandemic, this has also led to a serious increase in lung cancer cases. While the ban on smoking in closed areas has been flouted by both businesses and addicts, the fact that municipalities have shelved the necessary inspections and penal sanctions has also caused lung cancer to explode. The dire picture that has emerged in Turkey, which is the third country with the highest number of addicts in the world, was revealed in the latest lung cancer report published by the Turkish Thoracic Society. According to the report, approximately 41 thousand people were diagnosed with lung cancer in the country last year. While 34 thousand of the patients were men and 7 thousand were women, Turkey was in the category of countries with the highest lung cancer incidence.
85 PERCENT FROM CIGARETTES
Head of the Turkish Thoracic Society Thoracic Oncology Working Group Prof. Dr. Tuncay Göksel, while pointing out that smoking is responsible for 85 percent of lung cancer cases, “Early diagnosis and treatment processes are of great importance. However, since the symptoms are often mild or vague in the early stages, many patients are diagnosed at an advanced stage. We are losing ground in the fight against smoking.“Developing and implementing lung cancer screening programs and providing psychosocial support services to patients during their treatment processes should also be among our priority goals,” he said.
A FIRST IN THE HISTORY OF THE REPUBLIC!
On the other hand, the latest published scientific data show that e-cigarette products, marketed as “less harmful” and smuggled into the country, contain 7,000 chemicals, 70 carcinogens, and 8,000 different flavors. According to the latest published data, While 88 percent of all deaths in Turkey occur due to non-communicable diseases, 30 percent of non-communicable deaths are caused by smoking. According to data, 110 thousand people die from diseases related to smoking every year in Turkey, while recent studies show that the frequency of tobacco and tobacco product use among women over the age of 15 has reached the highest level in the history of the Republic.
RECORD IN CHINA
Turkish Thoracic Society Central Executive Board Member Prof. Dr. Çağlar Çuhadaroğlu stated that 18.7 percent of cancer deaths are caused by lung cancer, and said, “Lung cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in both men and women, but it is the most common type of cancer in men. China stands out as the country with the highest number of lung cancer cases with 1 million 60 thousand 584 new cases, while the USA stands out as the country with the second highest number of cases with 226 thousand 33 new cases. Japan is third with 136 thousand 723 cases, “Türkiye is among the countries with the highest lung cancer rates in men” He used the expressions.
THOUSANDS OF CHEMICALS
Turkish Thoracic Society Tobacco Control Working Group Executive Board Member Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pınar Bostan is also among those who draw attention to the fact that the tobacco industry is trying to market flavored products to increase tobacco use among women. Bostan, who explains that young people are being lured into the trap, says; “They are trying to deceive citizens with the lie that e-cigarettes are ‘harmless’. These products contain 7 thousand chemicals, more than 70 carcinogens, and thousands of different flavors. “The tobacco industry uses menthol and sweeteners to soften the strong flavour.”
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