The life expectancy of someone who overcomes cancer is the same as the rest after 5 years without relapses

Relapses in cancer patients are more frequent in the first two or three years and less common between the third and fifth, but after five years of complete remission the life expectancy of cancer survivors is equal to that of the general population of the same age and characteristics.

This was expressed at a press conference by the oncologist and president of the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO), Andrés Cervantes, who has demanded homogeneous legislation for the 27 countries of the European Union that establishes a period of five years for complete remission. of the disease for the right to be forgotten oncologically, which guarantees equality for survivors, regardless of where they live.

In Spain, in June a royal decree-law was approved that establishes the right to be forgotten oncologically in the contracting of health or life insurance and bank loans for patients with oncological pathologies once 5 years have passed since the end of treatment and without relapse. .

There is still much to do in oncological oblivion

Regarding this royal decree, the president of the Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC), Ramón Reyes, has valued its approval but has specified that it is now up to the corresponding Government to “develop and articulate it.”

Reyes has considered that there are “many things to address and inform, such as what implications a relapse has after ten years” and has recalled that the decree only eliminates “financial toxicity”, leaving other discriminations such as employment discrimination (21% of cases) pending. cancer patients lose their jobs and 14% need to adapt their jobs).

“We have taken care of putting out the fire and it is quite out, but the measures that must be taken are still virgin, there is a long way to go,” said the president of the AECC, who has put the number of long-term survivors at 100,000. Spain joins the statistics every year.

From the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology (SEOM), its president César Rodríguez, has considered that the five-year term allows a high degree of protection for the majority of patients, although he has left it open for deadlines to be established in the future. different depending on the different types of tumor, stages or treatments.

It has also been deemed necessary to develop the regulations in such a way as to eliminate uncertainties in the use of some terms such as “radical treatment” or to clearly establish the moment from which said period of time must be counted.

“Giving voice to an injustice”

Present on behalf of the patients was María Fernanda Picón, 51 years old, a patient with breast cancer diagnosed five years ago, which involved radical masectomy, radiotherapy and bone involvement. In her case, she is not a survivor since she has metastases and the medical objective is to make her disease chronic.

Picón explained that his objective is to “normalize and demystify the disease” and has valued that, in his case, he has had the support of the company where he works, which he considers “a privilege, since the majority of patients do not They are that lucky.”

This patient wanted to “give voice to an injustice that affects many” and considered it crucial to achieve a consensus at the national level so that cancer patients can move forward in their lives. With EFE

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