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  P3.24 - Poster Session 3 - Supportive Care (ID 160)

  • Event: WCLC 2013
  • Type: Poster Session
  • Track: Supportive Care
  • Presentations: 1
  • Moderators:
  • Coordinates: 10/30/2013, 09:30 - 16:30, Exhibit Hall, Ground Level

  • 12889

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    P3.24-036 - Lung cancer awareness months in Slovakia - what have they changed? (ID 2630)

    09:30 - 09:30  |  Author(s): M. Martinak
    • Abstract

    Background
    The tradition of Lung Cancer Awareness Month (LCAM) started in Slovakia in November 2008 with the help of several organizations, including Slovak Oncological Society, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Agriculture, Roche Slovakia, leading lung cancer centers, and many others, including volunteers, with the main purpose to raise awareness about all aspects of lung cancer. Several interesting projects were realized as a part of LCAMs in 2008 – 2012. Among them were the press conferences with participation of patients, leading experts, well known persons from cultural and political life; lung function testing in the Parliament of the Slovak Republic; lung function testing and educational leaflets distribution in the largest shopping centers in the country; the moving exhibition of lung models colored by the VIPs from the Slovakian cultural and sport life, i.e. by well known writers, actors and actresses, and sport stars; teaching activities at the secondary schools; publishing of free educational materials for patients and their relatives. In addition, during the LCAM in 2011 the Second Breath (Druhy Dych) Citizens Organization was established to help patients with lung cancer, and successfully continues with their activities (www.druhydych.eu). We decided to assess the influence of LCAMs on public awareness of lung cancer.

    Methods
    1. Search for the Slovak web pages containing the term “rakovina pluc” (“lung cancer“) was done in Google.sk for the time periods: 01.NOV.2007 – 31.DEC.2007, 01.NOV.2008 – 31.DEC.2008, and 01.NOV.2012 – 31.DEC.2012. 2. Another search was done in a Newton Media Database, aimed at the major Slovak media, for the years 2007 and 2012 to find the entries with the term “rakovina pluc” (“lung cancer”).

    Results
    1. The number of the Slovak web pages with the term “rakovina pluc” (“lung cancer”) in the time periods 01.NOV. – 31.DEC.2007, 01.NOV. – 31.DEC.2008, and O1.NOV. – 31.DEC.2012 was 14, 58, and 130, respectively. 2. The number of entries with the term “rakovina pluc” (“lung cancer”) in the Newton Media Database was 16 in 2007, and 36 in 2012.

    Conclusion
    Our results confirm, that LCAMs in Slovakia attracted media and public attention and thus increased the awareness of lung cancer. We believe that this has a positive impact on lung cancer patients’ care, and encourages us to continue with the LCAMs tradition.