Neringa went to the doctor herself after feeling a lump in her breast. At first, she thought that if it didn’t hurt, maybe it was nothing serious, but tests confirmed an oncological disease. The woman admits she really did not expect such a diagnosis.
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“The hardest part of this journey was dealing with my emotions. What shocked me the most was not the diagnosis itself, but the fear of treatment,” says Neringa.
The 47-year-old woman underwent chemotherapy once a week, later had surgery, and two years later she is still taking medication. During the treatment period, the woman felt quite well, and the situation was eased by the fact that she had arranged financial protection in advance in case of oncological disease.
“International Youth Day is an opportunity to remember that taking care of your health should not be postponed to a later age. Oncological disease can be a great challenge for a person – treatment sometimes lasts for many years, and during it one may face not only health but also financial challenges. Although thinking about critical illnesses is unpleasant, it is worth assessing their risk in advance and ensuring financial security while we are healthy,” says Rimgaudas Staigis, senior risk assessor at the life insurance company Compensa Life Vienna Insurance Group SE Lithuanian branch.
Prevention and early diagnosis are important
As explained by Vaida Gedaminienė, oncologist chemotherapist at Klaipėda University Hospital (KUL), among people under 50 years old, colorectal, breast, cervical, and thyroid cancers are most commonly diagnosed. Breast cancer is increasingly being diagnosed in younger women aged 30–40, and the risk of cervical cancer is closely linked to the human papillomavirus (HPV). Meanwhile, thyroid cancer is one of the more common oncological diagnoses among young women.
According to KUL oncologist chemotherapist V. Gedaminienė, although preventive programs for oncological diseases are usually carried out at an older age, since many oncological diseases develop slowly and their risk significantly increases with age, this does not mean that cancer prevention should only be considered after reaching a certain age – it is important to form healthy lifestyle habits as early as possible.
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The specialist recommends not smoking, limiting alcohol, being physically active, maintaining a healthy body weight, and protecting against harmful sun exposure. Equally important is participating in age-appropriate preventive programs and consulting a doctor if unusual body changes are noticed.
“If weight drops without a clear reason, strong fatigue lasts for a long time, new lumps or hardenings appear, moles change, blood is noticed in urine or stool, unusual bleeding occurs, cough or hoarseness persists, swallowing is difficult, digestive disorders last long or abdominal pain intensifies – these symptoms do not necessarily mean oncological disease, but they should be evaluated by a doctor,” says the KUL oncologist chemotherapist.
She states that early diagnosis and modern treatment options today allow some oncological diseases to be successfully cured, and in other cases to control the disease for a long time and improve the quality of life.
A diagnosis changes life plans for a young person
Professor Dr. Jelena Rascon, head of the Children’s Oncohematology Center and Cancer Coordination Center at Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Clinics, emphasizes that when oncological disease occurs at a very young age, which is a time of self-discovery and personality formation, one not only has to postpone plans and dreams and focus on overcoming the disease, but also more often faces the invisible side of the disease.
“Treatment may end, but its effects due to changed physical condition, body shape or appearance, such as scars on the body, on a person’s emotional well-being, ability to return to studies or work may last much longer,” the doctor summarized.
