The Perspectives of Medical Oncology Specialists in Screening Methods of Cancer

INTRODUCTION: One the main methods of reducing mortality and morbidity in cancer is screening programs and the early detection of disease and therefore increasing the awareness of appropriate interventions. In this regard, specialists in the field of oncology are at the forefront of those who should guide the population. The aim of this study is to evaluate the practice habits of medical oncologist in screening programs.
METHODS: The practice habits of medical oncologists regarding early diagnosis and screening of cancer was evaluated by a 37-item questionnaire.
RESULTS: Of the medical oncologist who were sent the survey, 94 of them replied. Sixty percent of the respondents were in college and 37% were working in state hospital. Eleven percent of the participants were professors, 8% were associate professors, 9% were assistant professors, 42% were experts and 29% were fellows. When the duration of expertise was examined, 48% have 3-10 years of experience, 37% between 1-3 years, 12% over 10 years. Nearly half of the participants reported that they should offer screening for lung cancer, but 22% recommended routine screening. It was determined that occult blood analysis was useful (55.1%) and at least rectal examination was recommended to patients and healthy subjects (45.7%). Mammography was the most believed (96.7%) and the recommended (98.9%) method.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: It has been noticed that the health professionals who are interested in oncology generally have similar perception and practice habits about early diagnosis and screening methods of cancer. However, they offer these methods to patients in daily practice less than they think they are useful for cancer screening. It should not be forgotten that this is part of health services.

Kanserde Erken Taný ve Tarama Konularýna Týbbi Onkologlarýn Yaklaþýmlarý

GÝRÝÞ ve AMAÇ: Kanserde mortalite ve morbiditenin azaltýlmasýnýn baþlýca yolu tarama programlarý ile hastalýk geliþiminin mümkün olduðunca erken taný konularak yakalanmasý ve uygun müdahalelerin gerçekleþtirilmesidir. Bu konuda topluma yol gösterici olmasý gereken kiþilerin baþýnda onkoloji alanýnda uzmanlaþmýþ hekimler gelmektedir. Bu çalýþmanýn amacý ülkemizdeki týbbi onkologlarýn erken taný ve tarama konularýndaki uygulama alýþkanlýklarýnýn deðerlendirilmesidir.
YÖNTEM ve GEREÇLER: Týbbi onkologlarýn erken taný ve tarama konularýndaki uygulama alýþkanlýklarý 37 soruluk bir anket ile deðerlendirildi.
BULGULAR: Anketi 94 medikal onkoloji uzmaný cevapladý. Cevaplayanlarýn %60’ý üniversitede, %37’si devlet hastanesinde çalýþýyordu. Katýlýmcýlarýn %11’i profesör, %8’i doçent, %9’u yardýmcý doçent, %42’si uzman ve %29’u yan dal araþtýrma görevlisi idi. Mesleki deneyimler incelendiðinde %48’i 3-10 yýl arasýnda, %37’si 1-3 yýl arasýnda, %12’si 10yýl üzerinde idi. Katýlýmcýlarýn yaklaþýk yarýsý akciðer kanseri için tarama yapýlmasý gerektiðini düþündüklerini bildirmiþler, ancak %22’si rutin taramayý önermiþlerdir. En az gaitada gizli kan incelemesinin faydalý olduðuna inanýldýðý (%55,1) ve en az rektal muayenenin hasta ve saðlýklý bireylere önerildiði (%45,7) belirlenmiþtir. Mamografinin ise faydalý olduðuna en çok inanýlan (%96,7) ve önerilen (%98,9) yöntem olduðu görülmüþtür.
TARTIÞMA ve SONUÇ: Onkoloji ile ilgilenen saðlýk profesyonellerinin kanserde erken taný ve tarama yöntemleri hakkýndaki algý ve uygulama alýþkanlýklarýnýn genelde benzer olduðu, ancak kanser taramasý için yararlý olduklarýný düþündükleri bu yöntemleri günlük pratikte hastalarýna daha az önerdikleri dikkati çekmiþtir. Bu konunun saðlýk hizmetlerinin bir parçasý olduðu unutulmamalýdýr.