International Women’s Day was celebrated yesterday and RTP wanted to mark the subject with a report on the increase in cases of lung cancer in young women, by the award-winning journalist, Paula Rebelo.<\/p>\n
In the report you can hear the testimony of Cristina Coelho who has been fighting lung cancer for 10 years. \u201cI was 12 when I started smoking and I thought tobacco would make me more adult\u201d, she says. Cristina also mentions the changes that occur in people’s lives when they stop smoking, saying that “the quality of life gained is very great, without forgetting the economic part, which is also very important”.<\/p>\n
The report also included the medical perspective with statements by Dr.\u00aa Joana Cardia, radioncologist at the IPO in Porto. “Lung cancer has been increasing especially in young women, an increase that is worrying and resulting not only from changing female smoking habits, but also from genetic alterations and women’s hormonal status”.<\/p>\n
The specialist also warns of the importance of valuing the diagnosis in a group that until now was not considered at risk, noting that, “a picture of dragging cough, tiredness and weight loss can justify a screening study for lung cancer that, until a few years ago, , would not be a likely diagnosis\u201d.<\/p>\n