- Between 30 and 40% of all cases of tumors are preventable.
- Up to 35 specialists from different areas are involved in the comprehensive care of a cancer patient.
- On December 4, 2023, Hereditary Cancer Day will be commemorated for the first time in Mexico.
Tumors have existed for thousands of years but it is now that they have become a real public health problem. Although there are risk factors that can be modified to reduce risks, there is also hereditary cancer. In either case, making small changes in daily life is enough to prevent the disease from progressing to advanced stages.
Exposure to tobacco and wood smoke, high-calorie diets, human papilloma virus (HPV) infections, hepatitis B and C, environmental pollutants, solar radiation, physical inactivity, and genetic predisposition are factors that intervene for a person to be at risk. of developing cancer, explained the general director of the National Cancer Institute (INCan), Abelardo Meneses García.
Almost half of cases can be prevented
Between 30 and 40 percent of cancer cases can be prevented by reducing exposure to these risk factors. At the same time, they also predispose to the development of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes mellitus, which, along with cancer, account for the highest mortality in the country.
At the ceremony for the world cancer daywhich was held at the INCan Comprehensive Care Support Center, Meneses García pointed out that this year’s motto “For fairer care, closing the care gap” has the purpose of promoting the seven fundamental pillars in oncology such as: prevention, diagnosis, treatment, follow-up, palliative care, research and financing.
He explained that patients can receive treatment in both early and advanced stages. In the initial phase, the disease is potentially curable. On the other hand, in the late stage it becomes more complex because it requires combining chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery and all care. An average of 35 specialists in surgery, oncology, radiology, rehabilitation, psychology and nutrition, among others, participate in this comprehensive care.
noted that INCan teaches 24 highly specialized courses, trains residents in various disciplines and has eight graduates. In addition, it offers patients various recreational activities that contribute to their recovery.
Hereditary Cancer Clinic
Regarding the investigation, he mentioned that INCan has the only hereditary cancer clinic in the country. Here, molecular diagnostics are performed on people at risk of suffering from the disease to prevent its development.
The Director of Teaching National Cancer InstituteEduardo Cervera Ceballos, said that the commemoration represents an opportunity to fulfill the four “E” that are needed in the fight against cancer: entrepreneurship of society as a whole, empowerment to do something for our health, equity to bring services to all communities and education to learn about cancer at all levels.
INCan is a national leader in the training of oncologists
He stressed that the institute is spearhead in biomedical research related to this condition and is the largest human resources training house in Mexico and Latin America linked to patient care.
The president of the Institute Medical SocietyHoracio Noé López Basave, pointed out that INCan has launched detection and treatment programs for prostate, cervical, lung, and colon and rectal cancer. Between 2018 and 2022, two thousand FIT tests were carried out to detect colon cancer.
These programs help reduce social inequalities and remove barriers to access to treatment that people face due to gender norms, socioeconomic status, age, and homophobia, among other conditions.
The head of the Department of Postgraduate and Continuing Medical Education, Jorge Óscar García-Méndez, indicated that two out of five Mexican men and women can develop a tumor throughout their lives, and clarified that access to cancer care must be universal, regardless of place of birth or residence, age or social status.
Meanwhile, the coordinator of the Hereditary Cancer ClinicRosa María Álvarez Gómez, reported that they provide information to patients and family members, as well as health professionals involved in clinical decision-making to guide them on the disease, treatment, complexity, evolution, complications, risk assessment, diagnosis of prevention and study of the family tree.
He advanced that On December 4, 2023, Hereditary Cancer Day is commemorated for the first time “to make the invisible visible” and raise awareness among the population about this disease.
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