Under the slogan “Don’t give cancer a chance, give life a chance”, the campaign encourages people to face cancer by leading a healthy life and attending early detection programs for cancer and colon cancer.

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A campaign to raise awareness of the importance of preventing cancer

The chef Miquel Calent and the pharmacist Fanny Pons star in the audiovisual piece of the campaign, which will be presented in press, radio, television and social networks.

Cancer represents one of the main causes of mortality in the Balearic Islands. Every year, around six thousand new cases are diagnosed, which, in the islands, affect more men than women. As for the types of cancer, the most frequent tumours in our community are colorectal, breast, prostate, lung and bladder.

For this reason, the Conselleria de Salud launched from today an awareness campaign that, under the slogan “Don’t give cancer a chance, give life a chance”, aims to reach the entire Balearic population and remind them of the importance of prevention and early detection in the fight against this disease.

An audiovisual piece -in which the chef Miquel Calent and the pharmacist and nutrition expert Fanny Pons have collaborated-, radio spots, creativity for social networks and graphic material for the press and for distribution in health centres and hospitals, will reflect the central message of Salud: prevention and early detection, the keys in the fight against cancer.

Two simple guidelines: healthy habits and attending early detection programs. The campaign that is now being launched aims to transmit these messages: healthy habits are key to reducing the possibility of suffering from the disease, and detecting a tumour at an early stage or as a premalignant lesion exponentially increases the possibility of curing it.

In fact, if the majority of these risk factors were addressed, and if early detection programs were regularly attended, more than a third of all cancers could be avoided and others could be treated early or palliatively. By leading a healthy life, more than 41,000 deaths and 64,800 new cases of cancer could be avoided in Spain.

On the other hand, and despite the fact that cancer survival has been increasing in recent years, cancer is still a disease which, in all cases, causes personal, family and environmental disorders that make it difficult to carry out day-to-day activities.

Healthy habits

Incorporating healthy lifestyle habits into daily life, such as maintaining a good diet, physical activity and avoiding tobacco, alcohol or excessive exposure to the sun, contributes to a high percentage of cancer risk reduction.

One of the main risk factors for many types of cancer (lung, mouth, larynx, oesophagus, pancreas, stomach, bladder and kidney) is tobacco addiction. In contrast, the benefits of quitting smoking start from day one and, within ten years of quitting, the risk of dying from lung cancer is reduced by half.

On the other hand, an unhealthy diet, a sedentary lifestyle, obesity and alcohol consumption are all related to colorectal, oesophagal, kidney, liver, stomach, breast and endometrial cancer.

In addition, exposure to ultraviolet radiation is related to an increase in skin cancer, and to certain chemical substances and radiation, to cancers of various types.

For this reason, the prevention recommendations set out in the European Commission’s European Code Against Cancer inform citizens about what they can do as individuals, families and society to reduce the risk of cancer.

Early detection is key

The second key in the fight against cancer is early detection. Attending appointments for cancer screening programs, whether for breast or colon cancer, is another fundamental tool in the fight against the disease. The aim of these screening programs is to detect, at an early stage, a cancer or a lesion that could become malignant.

At present, the Regional Ministry of Health has an Early Detection Program for Breast Cancer, aimed at women between 50 and 69 years of age, and the Colon and Rectal Cancer Screening Program, for women and men between 50 and 69 years of age.

Link to the campaign video: https://youtu.be/WPwhYAuiI0E?si=soZDPMlj5P-sDgso