2023-09-01 22:00:02
According to the WHO, around 10 million deaths from cancer were recorded in 2021 alone.
In 2017, the Surgical Oncology Society of Mexico was created to promote continuous medical updating.
An oncology surgeon has the task of performing interventions that are useful to eliminate tumors and prevent their metastasis.
The road to be a doctor is too long, but it also doesn’t end when you graduate from university. Each professional has the option of continuing their training in different ways. They exist from master’s degrees and seminars to specialties and subspecialties. A little explored field is that of surgeon oncologistdespite the current global crisis caused by cancer.
Tumors continue to rise across the planet
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), only during 2021 around 10 million deaths from tumors were recorded. It also remains the second most common cause of death on the planet.
In this case, the specialist indicated to care for patients with neoplasias is the oncologist, but there is also another one with even greater training, the oncologist surgeon. Its role is to carry out interventions that are useful to eliminate tumors and prevent their metastasis.
One of the problems is that there are very few specialists in the country. According to National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) there are just over 125 million Mexicans. While to date it is estimated that there are around 1,200 surgical oncologists in the country, of which only 600 are certified.
To learn more about the subject, Greetings had the opportunity to interview the Dr. Roberto Rodríguez Garcíawho is a surgical oncologist at Hospital Ángeles San Luis Potosí and is also part of the Society of Surgical Oncology of Mexico.
What is the objective of the Society of Surgical Oncology of Mexico?
It was born in 2017 with the aim of bringing together surgical oncologists and establishing a group for continuous medical updating focused on the academic and professional interests of surgical oncologists, gynecologist oncologists, and urologist oncologists in Mexico.
How can a specialist join the Surgical Oncology Society of Mexico?
The process is very simple because all you need is to be a certified surgical oncologist. Interested persons must present their title of specialist doctor and the intention of wanting to participate.
What is the relevance of surgical oncologists in the current context marked by the increase in cancer cases in Mexico and in the rest of the world?
Currently, cancer is the second leading cause of death in the country and the number of fatalities is increasing. With this in mind, the role of certified surgical oncologists is essential to offer an alternative care to all patients.
In my opinion they are the most qualified personnel to surgically treat cancer patients.
How many years of professional training does an oncology surgeon require in Mexico?
It is a long road because first the seven years of the Medical Degree are required. Then follow four from the specialty of General Surgery and three more from Oncological Surgery.
Therefore, they are a total of 14 years and, in addition, the preparation can continue with a high specialty focused on a specific type of cancer. Although in the end the update never ends because all specialists have the obligation to continue our preparation for life.
Beyond the specialty, why do you think a doctor should be constantly updated?
Because in Medicine all the treatments, the types of diagnosis and in general the information always changes because new scientific evidence appears all the time. The world is changing and the doctor must also do so in order to be at the forefront and be able to offer an optimal service to their patients.
Also read:
INTERVIEW: “Oncological surgery should only be performed by certified specialists”
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Oncological surgery, what benefits does it offer in the fight against cancer?
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