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To mark the World Day of Lung Cancer, annually celebrated on the 1st of August, GECP\u00a0simultaneously launches a new campaign on social networks, and a new tab on the website,\u00a0dedicated to the theme of stigma around lung cancer. This is a topic that has been little debated in\u00a0Portuguese society, being why there is an urgent need to raise awareness on this issue.<\/p>\n
The campaign on social networks aims, first of all, to make the population aware of the existence of a\u00a0stigma associated with lung cancer, which arises from the strong link between the disease and\u00a0smoking. Although the stigma is undeniable, it is often unrecognized by most people. To achieve this\u00a0purpose, the campaign focuses on testimonies from patients, which translate outbursts that health\u00a0professionals hear every day in their clinical practice. They reflect feelings of guilt, shame, suffering\u00a0and self-recrimination. The aim is to alert the public to the psychosocial suffering that stigma imposes\u00a0on patients, to encourage a change of mentality and to foster compassion.<\/p>\n
Additionally, with the new tab on the website dedicated to the topic, we aim to inform and educate. It\u00a0explores the causes, consequences, and strategies to overcome stigma. Its reading is in the interest\u00a0of patients, caregivers, health professionals who work in this area, and of the general population. We\u00a0highlight two key messages:<\/p>\n
Anyone can get lung cancer<\/strong>. In addition to tobacco, there are other genetic and\u00a0environmental risk factors. Up to 20% of patients have never smoked.<\/p>\n Nobody deserves to have lung cancer<\/strong>. Not even smokers, who suffer from an addiction\u00a0that is difficult to overcome.<\/p>\n The GECP believes that through communication, education and strategic campaigns, public opinion\u00a0can be shaped to end this unfounded stigma, and to mitigate the suffering that it adds to an already\u00a0overwhelming diagnosis.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Link:<\/p>\n