Alina Comanescu, Vice Chair of the Board at Digestive Cancers Europe, shared on LinkedIn:
“On World Lung Cancer Day, we must talk about the barriers that do not disappear with diagnosis.
Behind every lung cancer statistic is a person trying to navigate an often overwhelming medical maze. From the first symptom to survival, patients run into obstacles at every step:
- Barriers to early diagnosis: The stigma associated with the disease, overlooked symptoms, and delayed access to low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) screening mean that too many people are diagnosed at already advanced stages.
- Barriers to access medical services: Long wait times for bronchoscopy, biopsy, biomarker testing and imaging evaluations create critical delays when every day counts.
- Barriers in precision medicine: Unequal access to comprehensive biomarker testing and targeted therapies or state-of-the-art immunotherapies leaves many patients without the most effective personalized treatment option.
- Holistic support barrier: The financial burden, the treatment carried out in specialized centers and the lack of integrated patient navigation services force them to manage a huge logistical, administrative and emotional stress on their own.
- Barriers to survival: When the diagnosis of “no evidence of disease” is received or when the disease is chronically managed, the road does not end. Survivors face long-term side effects, permanent fear of relapse, emotional isolation, and little support for recovery and rehabilitation.
Lung cancer care should not be an obstacle course. Eliminating these problems requires systemic reforms: broader screening criteria, equal access to healthcare and biomarker testing, dedicated patient navigation, and integrated lifelong survival plans.
In Ziua Mondială De Luptă Împotriva Cancerului Pulmonar, let’s advocate for a patient journey defined by speed, fairness and support at every step.”