ANNOUNCEMENT – ONCOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF CYPRUS OEK – 15/01/2020

ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE CYPRUS ONCOLOGICAL SOCIETY (OEK)

In response to a report on an official news website, where a new cancer treatment method is advertised, the Cyprus Oncology Society would like to point out that the advertised Electrochemotherapy is not a new anti-cancer treatment since it has been known and applied for at least fifteen years.

It is also not a revolutionary treatment, as stated in the report, since it is palliative in nature, it is used in cases where the possibilities of treatment with internationally established methods have been exhausted and its indications are limited only to skin carcinomas, primary or metastatic. It is worth noting that the vast majority of international organizations that issue guidelines have not adopted it. Therefore, this treatment cannot be considered to give hope to thousands of cancer patients, as stated in the report.

The Oncology Society considers that the presentation given is not objective and does not serve to properly inform the public. Therefore, patients are urged not to be swayed by sensational headlines, to be informed about the indications for administering treatments, whether they fall within the framework of therapeutic protocols and guidelines, or are at an experimental stage, in which case they should be included in clinical studies.

Finally, OEK once again calls on journalists to be particularly careful when reporting on health issues, since through a headline or a report they may cause unfounded feelings of hope in suffering patients.