A chatbot about lung cancer was launched in Ukraine

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In Ukraine, a chatbot “On full chest” was launched, which will help patients get more information about the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer. The Telegram chatbot was developed by the non-governmental organization “Drug Control” with the help of specialists from the OncoHub organization and with the financial support of the international “Renaissance” foundation. Chatbot “To the full chest” consists of two large blocks of information: lung cancer and the rights of oncology patients. Patients can learn about the diagnosis, stages of the disease, treatment regimens, as well as about drugs and medical services that are provided under the Medical Guarantee Program, that is, free of charge for the patient. Photo: decade3d/Depositphotos The chatbot also has a step-by-step diagnostic guide and treatment protocols for small cell and non-small cell cancer. As thoracic surgeon, oncologist of the National Cancer Institute and “Dobrobut” network Yury Kondratskyi said at the chatbot presentation, lung cancer is a very aggressive, but well-studied disease. “The disease has a huge number of options for treatment. The main thing is to detect it in time and treat it in the initial stages, when it comes to surgical intervention and less traumatic treatment,” says the doctor. According to him, unfortunately, there are currently no screening programs for lung cancer in Ukraine, and this disease shows symptoms only in the late stages. Almost 80% of lung cancer cases in Ukraine are detected in the 3rd-4th century. Yuriy Kondratsky noted that computer tomography with contrast, bronchoscopy and biopsy are used to diagnose the disease. “The histological picture is very important. The treatment method depends on the type of cancer a person has,” says Yuriy Kondratskyi. The doctor also emphasizes that it is very important for patients to be aware of their illness. “If the doctor sees that the patient is knowledgeable, then he will communicate with him more, answer questions. And if the patient does not care, he does not know anything, then the doctor will also shut down,” says the oncologist. Oncologist, former chief physician of the National Cancer Institute Andrii Beznosenko urges people to visit a doctor on time and not to wait until there are symptoms of cancer, in particular, hemoptysis. He emphasizes that it is necessary to abandon the instruction that one only goes to the hospital when it hurts. “Every year in Ukraine, 120,000 new cases of cancer are detected. We must understand that cancer is almost impossible to prevent. But it can be diagnosed and treated in time. In Ukraine, the percentage of deaths among cancer patients is the highest. And this is due to late diagnosis, detection of the disease in the late stages of development,” Andriy Beznosenko. 19% of Ukrainians don’t want to go to doctors because they don’t have the money. As noted by the NGO “Drug Control”, one of the goals of creating a chatbot is to dispel certain myths about cancer. In particular, the fear of diagnosis and the belief that cancer cannot be cured without money. “We talk a lot about timely diagnosis, preventive examinations. And the chatbot “On full chest” is another step on this path. People usually have a hard time accepting cancer diagnoses. They ignore treatment or are afraid to start it. And this only makes the situation worse. Chatbot will help to understand how the treatment will take place, what stages are waiting for the person, what can be obtained from the future therapy free of charge. The bot will facilitate the communication between the patient and the doctor. And hopefully, it will remove the person’s fears about the disease,” said Nataliya Guran, head of the Liky Kontrol NGO. Chatbot “To full throttle” will help patients with lung cancer. Victoria Romanyuk, co-founder of the public organization “Athena. Women Against Cancer”, also believes that information about cancer and knowledge of patients’ rights helps patients survive. “The more informed the patient is, the more chances he has for successful treatment. People on social networks write that there is no free cancer treatment, but for many years we have been telling how to defend the rights of patients in this, various tools help a lot. In particular, such as chat- bot on “Full Chest,” says Viktoria Romanyuk. According to her, lung cancer is called “the #1 killer in the world” because it is often detected in the late stages. In Ukraine, such patients are often or not treated at all, or use the wrong protocol, resulting in death. “Often, doctors don’t order molecular testing that identifies mutations in these patients. A person with stage 4 is often simply sent home to die. Although there is a targeted therapy that can stop the disease. I personally know such patients who at this stage of the disease went into remission, live for many years and work,” says the representative of the organization. Experts also noted that the number of lung cancer cases in Ukraine is affected by the war. In particular, constant shelling and destruction of housing can cause the growth of oncological diseases. After all, the houses were built using asbestos, which causes neoplasms and is currently prohibited in construction. During explosions, this substance is released into the air, and people who are nearby are at risk. We will remind you that currently in Ukraine there are also other electronic services that help patients receive information about the treatment of various diseases, for example, the mobile application “Drugs Control”, where you can find information about drugs registered in Ukraine, chatbots “Ask Grytsia”, dedicated to obtaining affordable drugs, and “Treat yourself” for Read also: How many oncology patients were treated under the Medical Guarantee Program since 2020 – according to the National Health Service

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