According to the Rambam researchers, the decrease in mortality is also evident in Israeli patients and is the result of a change in the therapeutic approach in the last decade, to a multidisciplinary approach. In complications during or after the operation and performing procedures to restore the patient's function after the treatment" says Prof. Ziv Gil, director of the ENT department at Rambam
Cancer of the oral cavity is among the most common tumors in the world and in Israel, where smoking and drinking alcohol are known to cause an increase in morbidity. The prevalence of the disease also depends on genetic, geographic and cultural factors. Recently, it was found that exposure to the human papillomavirus is also a risk factor whose prevalence is increasing, a fact that received a media echo with the disclosure of the story of the Hollywood star Michael Douglas, who contracted cancer of the oral cavity after having oral sex.
The treatment of oral cancer tumors is surgery and sometimes it is necessary to complete the treatment with the help of radiation and chemotherapy. Survival from these tumors reached only about 50% in the previous decades, but an international study that followed about 3,000 patients for 20 years, indicates a significant downward trend in the mortality rate as a result of this disease. According to the results of the study, which was led by researchers from the ENT department at Rambam Medical College, in the last decade there was a 12% decrease in mortality from cancer (from 31% to 19% mortality), compared to the previous decade.
The study, conducted by Prof. Ziv Gil, director of the Rambam Department of Cancer, and Dr. Moran Amit, a physician in the department, included leading cancer centers in Italy, Australia, Brazil, Germany, India, the USA, and Taiwan. The researchers, whose work was accepted for publication in the monthly the prestigious CANCER, discovered to their surprise that the decrease in mortality in the last decade occurred even though the proportion of patients treated due to advanced disease and advanced age was greater. For example, in the last decade 14% of patients were over 70 years of age compared to 10% in the previous decade, and 55% of them had an advanced disease, This is compared to 45% in the previous decade.
According to the Rambam researchers, the decrease in mortality is also evident in Israeli patients and is the result of a change in the therapeutic approach in the last decade, to a multidisciplinary approach. In complications during or after the operation and performing procedures to restore the patient's function after the treatment," says Prof. Ziv Gil, director of the ENT department at Rambam, "this is a unique advantage that exists in Israel only in university-public centers where there are multidisciplinary teams, and is not given to patients in the system the private".
Prof. Ziv explains the logic behind these data: "Studies published in recent years In the British Journal of Cancer They showed that the chance of cure is significantly higher when the treatment is carried out by a multidisciplinary team compared to treatment by a single doctor. The quality of the treatment also depends on the follow-up, which is required for many years, and should also be performed regularly by the same team. These advantages of the treatment The public service can lead not only to a decrease in mortality but also to a considerable improvement in the quality of patients' lives."
Based on a statement from the Rambam Medical Center
