Ahead of World Lung Cancer Day, marked this Monday, a special event was held in Rosedal Park, Palermo. The free initiative aimed to raise awareness about one of the country's and the world's most serious oncological diseases, while promoting prevention messages and healthy behaviors. Under the slogan 'Encouraging with all our lungs, we take the lead against cancer,' the event featured an interactive experience inside a booth where iconic goals from the Argentine national football team were projected. Participants were invited to shout the goal with enthusiasm and passion, as they would in a stadium, for 7 seconds—the duration of a spirometry test. This activity, designed to be playful and participatory, also served as a tool for awareness: if someone notices shortness of breath, fatigue, or difficulty completing the shout, the message is clear but respectful: consulting a healthcare professional could be a good idea. Specialists agree on the importance of primary prevention, especially quitting smoking and paying attention to symptoms such as persistent cough, coughing up blood, chest pain, difficulty breathing, constant fatigue, or unexplained weight loss. 'Prevention saves lives, and that's not just a saying; it's backed by evidence,' the report states. In Argentina, lung cancer is the third most common type of cancer, behind breast and colon cancer, with over 12,000 cases annually, according to estimates from the Ministry of Health and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Meanwhile, the IARC's Global Cancer Observatory 2022 report, accessed by the news agency, registered over 2.5 million new cases worldwide and nearly 1.8 million deaths attributable to this disease. In many countries, particularly in Latin America, barriers to early diagnosis and access to treatment persist. In this context, awareness campaigns become a fundamental tool to reduce inequalities and empower the population. According to the latest Vital Statistics report from the Ministry of Health's Directorate of Statistics and Health Information (DEIS), in 2023, lung cancer was the deadliest cancer type: 8,536 deaths, including lung, trachea, and bronchus, representing nearly 14% of all cancer deaths. 'The fight against cancer is not only fought in laboratories and hospitals. It is also fought in the plazas, in the schools, in the social networks, in every conversation that helps to understand that something can be done.'
