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Did you know that one out of two people will develop cancer during their lifetime? That one out of four people will die from it? That it’s the leading cause of death in Québec?
New treatments are always being discovered. But there’s still a lot of work to do to raise the quality of patient care. As well as the patient’s care experience and quality of life. That’s where you come in!
Cancers that affect the intimate parts of a woman’s body, like cervical cancer, are the focus of my expertise. In fact, cervical cancer is the number one gynecological cancer in the world. And the human papilloma virus (HPV) is the primary cause.
I’m writing to you today so that we can offer women better care. To help us purchase a laser to treat precancerous lesions in our patients. You’ll be helping to reduce the risk of women developing cancer.
Women between 35 and 55 are the most affected. Certain groups are at higher risk of developing symptoms. Like people with a compromised immune system. Other factors, like smoking, also come into play.
When precancerous lesions appear, doctors can choose among three treatment options. They’ll offer the patient the best option depending on their medical situation.
- The first option is the daily application of a cream over several months.
- A surgical excision of only the infected area is another option.
- The third and last option is to remove lesions with a laser. This involves just a few 10-minute sessions in day surgery, under local anesthesia.
At the moment, Hôpital Charles-Le Moyne only offers the first two options. But in some cases, laser treatment is preferable. We’re not equipped for this. So we have to direct some of our patients to other institutions for treatment. As you can imagine, this is far from ideal. It’s stressful and impractical. The account by one of my patients, Martine* , attests to this.
I used the laser for many years at my previous hospital. And because I know the benefits, I want to be able to use it for my patients here at Hôpital-Charles Le Moyne.
You can help us purchase the laser and offer equitable access to care to all our oncology patients.
With this laser, our team can use the least invasive and most targeted approach to treat gynecological precancer. And because Hôpital Charles-Le Moyne is a referral centre in oncology, it must be able to offer its patients this treatment. Especially because it costs society much less to treat precancerous lesions than full-blown cancers.
It’s not every day that a simple donation can have such a direct impact on the life of a patient. That you can prevent someone from getting cancer. Not every day that you can prevent a disease that sadly strikes young women. Thank you on behalf of all the patients affected by precancerous lesions—like Martine* . With this laser, you can cure them.
*The patient’s name was changed to ensure anonymity.
Dr. Omar Touhami
Chief of the Gynecology Oncology Service
Hôpital Charles-Le Moyne
