2023-06-12 01:00:48
- Every year more than 25,000 new cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed in Mexico.
- The test to identify the disease is free in the medical units of the Ministry of Health, IMSS and ISSSTE.
- World Prostate Cancer Day is commemorated every June 11.
Prostate cancer is a serious public health problem in Mexico. Every year there are almost eight thousand deaths and more than 25 thousand new cases, the majority detected in late stages, reported the head of the Department of Oncological Urology of the National Institute of Cancerology (INCan) of the Ministry of Health, Miguel Ángel Jiménez Ríos.
He recognized that it is necessary to promote prevention among the male population to be tested. To the National Cancer Institute Seven out of ten patients arrive in late stages. While, in the United States, France, England or Spain, nine out of ten are detected when the cancer starts, which allows timely treatment that saves their lives.
Program for the timely detection of prostate cancer in Mexico
He also stressed that our country has a medical infrastructure to care for the disease. General hospitals have a urology service and specialists are trained to treat radical prostectomy and practically throughout the country there are medical services to treat this condition.
revealed that Mexico is the only country in Latin America that has a comprehensive early detection program. It consists of the nutritional, psychological and physical evaluation of the patient, laboratory studies and comprehensive treatment at all stages of the disease.
He mentioned that INCan cares for patients from Mexico and Latin America, and trains professionals from the continent so that in their countries they can implement the early detection system for prostate cancer.
Main risk factors
He explained that a sedentary lifestyle and a family history are factors that predispose to suffering from this type of tumor, which is why medical check-ups and screening are important from the age of 40, with prostate antigen tests and digital rectal examination, which can make the difference between being cured or being at risk of losing your life.
In most cases, this malignant tumor occurs after the age of 50. When it starts, it does not cause symptoms and is slow growing; this gives a window of opportunity for early detection.
Prostate cancer develops in four stages. In the first it is undetectable and can only be identified with prostate antigen tests; in the second it can be perceived with self-exploration between the globules; when it reaches the third stage, it covers the entire prostate and leaves the fat that surrounds it; in the latter, it invades other parts of the body such as the rectum, bladder, or bone.
Treatment in the first and second stages is through open or minimally invasive surgery, called pure or robot-assisted laparoscopy: in phase three, in addition to surgery, radiotherapy or hormone therapy or both are given. In phase four surgery, radiotherapy, hormone therapy and chemotherapy are performed.
He mentioned that figures from National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi) reveal that in the country there are more than 15 million people over 50 years of age. “That population year after year must go for a prostate check. Just as the woman is going to have a Pap smear, the man should also have antigen studies at least once a year.
He pointed out that the test is free in the medical units of the Ministry of Health, the Institute of Security and Social Services for State Workers (Issste), the Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS) and in the rest of the public health institutions. .
Also read:
Prostate cancer in Mexico: 70% of cases are detected in an advanced stage
Prostate cancer, the leading cause of death in men over 65 years of age in Mexico
INTERVIEW: The deadly danger of prostate cancer in Mexico
#Mexico #unique #program #detect #prostate #cancer