‘Ban shisha completely and screen smokers for cancer’
Smokers should be regularly screened for lung cancer, the deadliest form of the disease in the UAE, says an oncologist who wants a total ban on shisha.
Doctors at the European Society for Medical Oncology congress in Madrid said global death rates would probably rise by more than a million a year over the next 17 years, and regular screening of smokers was the most effective way to detect it in its early stages.
GCC countries will be subject to a 100 per cent tax on cigarettes from next month, but oncologists in the UAE say that will not go far enough to help reduce smoking-related deaths.
“I’m not sure the 100 per cent tax in tobacco is enough to stop people smoking,” said Dr Falah Al Khatib, an oncologist at City Hospital, Dubai, who quit smoking more than 30 years ago.
“If you really want to do something, the price needs to be much more. We also know shisha is a very bad habit, and it needs to be stopped completely.
“In the past, smoking was very sociable. It was part of hospitality to share cigarettes around and part of being an adult. That should not be happening now with the knowledge we have.”
In 2015, there were about 1.7 million deaths related to lung cancer globally, of which 1.2 million were men.
The predicted number of global lung cancer deaths is expected to rise from 2 million a year in 2020 to 3 million by 2035 at current rates.
Health Authority Abu Dhabi statistics from 2014 show other respiratory-related tumours caused 20.3 per cent of all cancer deaths in men. That rate was 5.9 per cent with women.
“Incidence, the number of new cases in the UAE, is much like anywhere else in the world,” Dr Al Khatib said. “This smoking population can be screened – it is not about going up and down the country screening everyone.
“What we can do is continue to educate people, doctors and health providers, and provide specialists of a high calibre and dedicated treatment with psychological support.”
Only about 10 per cent of all cancer patients in the UAE require terminal care, Dr Al Khatib said.
Doctors said that in Europe, screening should be done on a national level with a central registry, so all radiology data can be interpreted to follow up on screenings and help to develop other international programmes.
Kristiaan Nackaerts, a pulmonologist from Belgium who specialises in respiratory oncology, presented the latest research into the effectiveness of regular screening of smokers.
“Lung cancer screening aims to reduce latent mortality and this should be done if possible with relatively limited harm by detecting cancers in an earlier phase,” Dr Nackaerts said.
“Further refinements are needed to make it a cost-effective process, and to reduce the radiation exposure if someone needs to be screened annually for 10 or more years.
“These CT images can also be used to detect undiagnosed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and emphysema, for example, to increase the efficiency of screening, next to smoking cessation programmes that are also very important for those attending screenings and still smoking.”
The five-day congress was attended by almost 24,000 doctors and academics from 131 countries. Policy, sustainability and the cost effectiveness of treatments were in focus.
Biosimilars are medical products almost identical to an original product but made by a different company and are new to oncology. Doctors said they should be presented as a cheaper, valid option in treatment, which would ease the strain on healthcare systems.
At 1,736, a record number of abstracts was submitted during the congress. Many focused on the importance of prevention and early diagnosis.
“Oncology is not only about medicines, as 40 per cent of cancers are preventable,” said Prof Josep Tabernero, president-elect of the society.
“We should emphasise lifestyle changes that would reduce the incidence of cancer – stop smoking, reduce alcohol intake, have a balanced diet low in red meat, exercise and avoid exposure to substances that have been shown to be carcinogenic.’’
Oncologist Dr Falah Al Khatib did not believe the 100% tax on tobacco would deter enough people from smoking