Category: Prevention and Treatment

Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month – March

March is dedicated to raising awareness and promoting prevention of colorectal cancer, one of the most common but also highly treatable cancers when detected early. It is also referred to as colorectal carcinoma.

According to a European Commission report published in March 2021, colorectal cancer accounted for 12.7% of all new cancer diagnoses and 12.4% of all cancer-related deaths in the EU-27 countries in 2020. By 2045, it is estimated that 3.29 million new cases will be diagnosed worldwide, leading to 1.66 million deaths.

The disease occurs more frequently in men than in women, with age being a significant factor. Approximately 90% of people diagnosed with colorectal cancer worldwide are over 50 years old.

Prevention and early detection save lives.

Regular screenings, such as colonoscopy, can detect early lesions or precancerous changes before they develop into serious disease. During a colonoscopy, tissue samples (biopsies) can be taken for histological examination if a suspicious lesion is found, and polyps can be removed to prevent progression to cancer.

Treatment options depend on the stage of the disease, the tumor’s molecular characteristics, and the patient’s overall health. Standard therapies include surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy—which plays a key role in rectal cancer—as well as targeted therapies and immunotherapies guided by specific molecular biomarkers.

Through the National Colorectal Cancer Screening Program, the goal is to detect precancerous lesions or the disease itself early, allowing prompt intervention and treatment. Adenomatous polyps or early-stage neoplasms have a 100% cure rate when managed at an early stage, highlighting the critical importance of early detection.

For more information, visit the National Colorectal Cancer Screening Program website: https://colon.gov.gr

For any questions, you can contact the service department at tel. 11401 or via email: prolipsis-helpdesk@idika.gr.

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Cancer is increasingly becoming a highly manageable disease

In the Sunday edition of To Vima newspaper and Vita magazine (25 January 2026), the views of Ms Evangeli Bista, co-founder of Kapa3, were featured, shedding light on the landscape of modern oncology and the challenges emerging within the current Greek healthcare reality.

Ms Bista addressed the Greek context and highlighted the importance of digital technology as a cornerstone of modern health policy, particularly in the field of cancer care, where treatment pathways are complex, long-term, and deeply person-centred. As she noted, Greece has already made measurable progress: electronic and paperless prescribing, oncology registries, the National Electronic Health Record, and applications such as MyHealthApp are creating the conditions for more coordinated and transparent care. When healthcare professionals, as well as patients themselves, are equipped with appropriate digital skills, patient autonomy is strengthened, treatment outcomes improve, and inequalities—especially those affecting vulnerable population groups—are reduced.

The article is co-authored by distinguished scientists and collaborators: Maria Gazouli, Professor of Biology, Genetics and Nanomedicine at the Medical School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and national representative on the Committee for Advanced Therapies of the European Medicines Agency; Manolis Saloustros, Associate Professor of Oncology at the University of Thessaly and President of the Hellenic Society of Medical Oncology (HESMO); and Christos Frantzidis, Assistant Professor of Informatics and Machine Learning at the University of Lincoln in the United Kingdom.

The contributing experts underline that modern oncology increasingly approaches cancer as a largely manageable chronic disease, through targeted and personalised therapies. The use of innovative technologies—such as next-generation sequencing, mRNA vaccines, PARP inhibitors and cellular therapies—has significantly expanded therapeutic options. At the same time, prognosis is becoming more dynamic and individualised through the use of multi-omics profiling, machine learning algorithms and liquid biopsy techniques. Particular emphasis is placed on the early integration of palliative care and psychosocial support, which play a crucial role in improving patients’ quality of life. Finally, the importance of structured and coordinated healthcare services is highlighted, with the medical oncologist acting as a key coordinator of person-centred care.

Beyond documenting technological advances, the article opens a broader discussion on the digital transition in oncology care, addressing issues of access, meaningful use of data and the need for coordination across different scientific disciplines. Digital health is presented not as an end in itself, but as a tool that requires collaboration, institutional maturity and a shared vision in order to deliver real value to patients.

The overarching message is clear: every step, whether small or large, matters. Progress in oncology is not the result of isolated actions, but of collective effort. Through collaboration among scientists, healthcare professionals, organisations and patients, the conditions for meaningful and sustainable change can be created—always with the human being and their real needs at the centre.

Download our Press release here:  KAPA3_VIMA

Text / Adaptation: Ifiyenia Anastasiou for Kapa3