Lung cancer in women is diagnosed at a later stage than in men.

Paula Baena
Lung cancer is no longer just a men’s problem and has become the leading cause of cancer deaths in women, even surpassing breast cancer. This reality was addressed on day one Women’s Lung Cancer Day took place at the University Hospital of La Paz. He Dr. Javier de Castro, Head of the Oncology Department of the La Paz Hospital and Vice President of the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology (SEOM), warned that this type of cancer is diagnosed in women at a later stage than in men. The symptoms are often confused with asthma. respiratory infections or is assessed as metastasis of breast cancer. All of this delays the correct diagnosis, which is critical to increasing the chances of survival.

Dr. De Castro noted that the late diagnosis is partly due to gender bias in medicine. Lung cancer is common It is believed to be a disease of male smokers. which influences early detection in women. Lack of social and medical awareness of this problem makes early diagnosis difficult in women, who often see their symptoms as being related to other respiratory causes. Thus, Dr. Pilar Garrido,

The head of the medical oncology service at the Ramón y Cajal University Hospital emphasized the importance of education and awareness, aimed at both health professionals and the general public, to achieve a change in the perception of this disease.

Dr. Isla: “Removing women from clinical trials directly impacts precision medicine’s ability to provide personalized solutions.”

On the other side, Doctor Dolores Isla, President of the Association for Research on Women’s Lung Cancer (Ikapem), wanted to encourage the development gender-specific lung cancer studies. Dr. Isla explained that the small number of women included in clinical trials led to skewed knowledge about the effectiveness and toxicity of treatments. “Removing women from clinical trials directly impacts precision medicine’s ability to provide personalized solutions.”– the specialist warned. In this sense, he emphasized the importance of designing randomized and stratified trials which analyze the specific needs of patients, allowing dose adjustments and improved therapeutic results.

Impact of smoking and other risk factors

Smoking remains the most important risk factor, although not the only one. Dr. Luis Paz Ares, head of the medical oncology service at the 12 October University Hospital, explained that although 60% of lung cancer cases in women are related to smoking, “40% have never used tobacco”

. This has led researchers to study other risk factors, such as radon exposure and air pollution, that may contribute to the high incidence of this type of cancer in women who do not smoke.

Dr. Paz also emphasized the need for smoking prevention and cessation programs to combat the phenomenon. “smoking epidemic” What This affects the younger population, especially women. According to the specialist, they observed how young women “in search of the perfection that social networks show” switch to smoking calm anxiety and desire to eat.

Work in the field of pathological anatomy is necessary for effective diagnosis.

Effective diagnosis of lung cancer in women largely depends on work on pathological anatomy. Dr. Isabel Esteban Rodriguez, The specialist from the Department of Pathological Anatomy of the University Hospital of La Paz emphasized the need to have adequate and well-processed samples to carry out a complete analysis. In addition, he emphasized that they should include studies of biomarkers and molecular changes that determine the choice of targeted treatment. Dr. Esteban explained that pathology laboratories must optimize specimen analysis as much as possible, especially in advanced cases where tissue availability is limited. “It is very important to obtain detailed clinical information to be able to make an accurate and rapid diagnosis, especially in non-smoking patients in whom the search for treatable mutations is a priority,” pointed out.

Project Cassandra: towards early detection in women

The event also raised awareness of Project Cassandra, a screening initiative that aims to improve the early diagnosis of lung cancer in high-risk populations, especially women. As you indicated Francisco J. Garcia Rio, medical director of the University Hospital of La Paz, the project aims to create a specific screening model for Spain, targeting high-risk smokers and ex-smokers.

These types of programs, which include low-dose CT screening, are a key tool for detecting lung cancer in its early stages. It would be important for improving survival rates. Project Cassandra aims to be one of the largest lung cancer screening studies in Europe and involves several autonomous communities and 17 scientific societies, he said. Almudena Quintana, Director General of Welfare Ministry of Health Community of Madrid.

So the day Women’s Lung Cancer Day In conclusion, by pointing out that lung cancer in women is a growing reality that requires an interdisciplinary response, improved screening programs and more inclusive research. Prevention, early diagnosis and a gender approach in medicine are necessary to solve this problem. “silent epidemic” which every year affects more and more women in Spain and around the world.