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(CNN Spanish) --
Cancer continues to be one of the biggest public health concerns in the world.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), this disease was among the main causes of death in 2020, causing almost 10 million deaths.
The WHO indicates that the deadliest cancers in that year were lung (1.8 million deaths), colorectal (935,000), liver (830,000), gastric (769,000) and breast (685,000 deaths).
In terms of cases, says the WHO, the most frequent in 2020 were breast (2.26 million cases), pulmonary (2.21 million), colorectal (1.93 million), prostate (1.41 million ), skin (1.20 million) and gastric (1.09 million).
If you want to read about symptoms and more information about these cancers, click on the following note:
What are the most common types of cancer and which are the deadliest?
And not only is it prevalent, but cancer has become an even more complex problem with the arrival of the pandemic, as this has influenced delays in early detection and some treatments.
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Due to these factors, it is always important to talk about prevention and, in this sense, about recommendations for all people.
Two types of cancer prevention
In general, we can do various things to prevent cancer.
The American Cancer Society has several recommendations on prevention, which are based on scientific studies.
Among them, we can find:
Exercise, if possible, five hours a week
Eat plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits, at least two and a half cups a day
Choose whole grains instead of refined ones
Reduce consumption of processed foods, red meat and sugary drinks
Try not to drink any alcohol
However, to be more specific, we can talk about there being two types of cancer prevention, explained Dr. Elmer Huerta, an oncologist, public health expert, and CNN contributor.
One of these is called "primary prevention" and the other "secondary prevention or early detection," he said.
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Primary prevention: what it is and what cancers it covers
Dr. Huerta commented that this type of prevention is based on avoiding everything that causes cancer.
"It consists in knowing the cause of cancer, knowing the element that causes cancer, because you have to eliminate it from your life so that it doesn't cause you" the disease, he said.
The oncologist and CNN collaborator indicated that the clearest example of this type of prevention is the consumption of tobacco or cigarettes.
"(It is) known that tobacco, cigarettes, can cause multiple types of cancer, so then you have to either not smoke cigarettes or stop smoking cigarettes if you are doing it. This is called primary prevention. That's where
cancer of the
the mouth, the throat, the tongue, the esophagus, the stomach, the colon, the cervix, the bladder, the kidneys, the pancreas, the lungs
. All these cancers are associated with tobacco consumption" , he detailed.
Another example Dr. Huerta gave is that of sunlight and ultraviolet rays, which have been shown to cause
skin cancer
.
"If I know that ultraviolet rays are going to cause skin cancer, then I avoid being in the hours of greatest intensity of solar radiation, which are more or less from 10 in the morning to 3 in the afternoon in a direct sun exposure," he explained, adding that umbrellas, long-sleeved shirts and sunscreen also help.
Two more examples have to do with
cervical cancer and liver cancer
, which are linked to primary prevention thanks to vaccines.
"There is a vaccine against human papillomavirus, which is a vaccine that can be given to girls and boys from 9 years of age and what it will do is prevent the appearance of cervical cancer in the future, as well as cancer of the penis in children, cancer of the anus in men and women, and cancer of the mouth and throat in men and women," said Dr. Huerta.
Also, "it is considered that 80% of liver cancer cases are related to chronic hepatitis B infection. So, if you vaccinate newborns with the hepatitis B vaccine, I will prevent this type of cancer in the future.
Healthy eating, an indirect form of primary prevention
Dr. Huerta made some notes regarding reducing the consumption of processed foods, red meat and sugary drinks.
He pointed out that, in effect, reducing the consumption of these foods is part of primary prevention, but indirectly, since they do not cause cancer by themselves, but are associated with the disease.
"It is considered that a healthy lifestyle, in which one eats healthy in small portions, natural foods that are cooked daily, avoiding junk food, junk food, processed, ultra-processed, will also lead me to the indirect prevention of cancer. Why? Because by eating healthy I'm going to avoid obesity, and obesity is going to lead to
cancers of the colon, liver, pancreas, breast, and prostate
," explained CNN's expert contributor.
Specifically in the case of red meat, Dr. Huerta recommended its consumption once a week.
Secondary prevention: what is it and what cancers can be included here
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Dr. Huerta commented that the second type is called secondary prevention or early detection, and it has to do with those cancers that have tests to detect them when they are just beginning.
This prevention covers "a handful of cancers, not many," he added.
"The difference with primary prevention is that in this I am avoiding coming into contact with the substance or the cause of the cancer so that it does not occur, while in secondary prevention the cancer has already started, it has already occurred, the cancer is already growing, but it grows so slowly that, with evidence, I am going to find it to prevent it from getting worse," explained the oncologist and public health expert.
The handful of cancers that Dr. Huerta refers to are divided into five examples:
Cervical cancer
.
It is found early by doing a test called a pap smear or cytology, or a high-risk papillomavirus screening test.
Pap smears should be done once a year from ages 21 to 65.
breast cancer
.
In this case, the test is the mammogram, which is done after the age of 40, once a year, until the age of 75.
"What it does is detect cancer that is already growing, but it finds it, as we oncologists say, the size of a grain of sugar, small, in time to operate and cure it," said Dr. Huerta.
Cancer of the colon or large intestine
.
A test called occult blood or invisible blood in the stool has a detection method.
"This test is done in men and women from the age of 50. And if that test comes out positive, a test called a colonoscopy can be done, which should be done every 5 or 10 years from the age of 50 in men and women" said the CNN contributor.
Lung cancer
.
A test called a low-intensity computed tomography scan is done and should be done every five years.
However, it is not for everyone, said Dr. Huerta, but for "smokers who have consumed a pack of cigarettes a day for 30 years or two packs of cigarettes a day for 15 years. That is, heavy smokers."
Prostate cancer
.
"It can be found early by doing a digital rectal exam or a blood test ... called PSA or prostate-specific antigen, which should be done annually in men over 50 years of age," she said.
The public health expert emphasized that in all these cancers the patient does not have any warning signs, which shows the importance of early detection.
"The cancer is so small that there are no symptoms," he said.
The WHO points out, however, that "detection of cancer at an advanced stage and lack of access to diagnostic means is common, particularly in low- and middle-income countries", which opens a wide gap in terms of health comprehensive and also uncovers another highly complex issue.
Despite this, Dr. Huerta stressed that the message and the practical advice that should be clear is that, if you have access, "you have to go to the doctor before feeling symptoms."
Cancer
