World Cancer Day: controls and advice to prevent the 4 most frequent tumors in Argentina

In the country, more than

, according to the latest estimates made by the Global Cancer Observatory (Globocan).

The figure places Argentina among those with a medium-high incidence of this disease (which is not one, but many).

have taken place in recent decades

(with the immunotherapy revolution and personalized medicine, for example), there is still much room for improvement in terms of access. 

That when the cancer has already developed.

But there is a previous stage, that of prevention, in which more and more emphasis is placed, especially in days such as 

, which is commemorated on February 4. 

It is that it is known that between a third and a half of the cases could be avoided, (which in Argentina is equivalent to about 50,000 fewer new cases per year).

As?

On the one hand, reducing the prevalence of a handful of known risk factors through adherence to a healthy lifestyle.

And with opportune controls that in various types of cancer favor early detection, which is associated with a better prognosis.

Both aspects (reduction of risk factors and check-ups in certain population groups) are essential to reduce the incidence and mortality of the four most frequent types of cancer in Argentina, which produce almost half of all new annual cases:

On World Cancer Day, specialists answer what habits help prevent them, what are the alarm symptoms and who and at what age should be checked.

Breast cancer: controls and prevention

Breast cancer is not only the most frequent tumor in women, it is also the one that generates the most cases in the country: 22,000 new ones during 2020, according to data from Globocan, and some

.

It is estimated that

will develop it at some point in their lives.

Although it can appear in young people, most cases of breast cancer are diagnosed after the age of 50.

"Breast cancer occurs most frequently

However, approximately 10% of cases are diagnosed in people under 40 and 10% in people over 80. Therefore, age is not a factor for underestimating breast cancer when there are reasons to suspect it," says Sabrina Barchuk, a specialist in obstetrics and mastology at the Argentine Society of Mastology (SAM).

In addition to age, other factors that increase the risk of developing it are excess weight, a sedentary lifestyle, and high alcohol consumption, among others.

There may also be a genetic predisposition, but more than 75% of women with breast cancer have no family history of the disease.

Only 1% of cases occur in men.

Since tumors smaller than one centimeter have

, early detection is key.

And in that the performance of annual check-ups and control with mammography plays a fundamental role.

Routine mammograms favor early detection of breast cancer (even before it manifests physical symptoms or can be felt through a self-examination), which increases the chances of cure, with

than those performed when the tumor is more advanced.

At the population level, the Ministry of Health recommends that all women between the ages of 50 and 69, with no personal or family history of breast cancer (in this case they should start earlier), have a mammogram every one or two years.

Outside that age range, they suggest consulting with the doctor about the convenience of doing the test.

"The decision must be personalized and according to the family history of the disease and risk factors of each woman," says a guide prepared by the National Cancer Institute, which depends on the Ministry of Health.

The indication of medical societies is different.

A consensus signed by the Argentine Society of Mastology (SAM), the Argentine Society of Radiology (SAR) and the Argentine Association of Clinical Oncology (AAOC), the Ángel Roffo Institute of Oncology and five other associations recommends that women with average risk

, with no specified completion age, and suggests continuing as long as life expectancy exceeds 5 years.

The SAM suggests making a

to make a risk assessment.

"In women without increased risk, he recommends an annual mammogram starting at age 40 along with a physical breast exam by a trained professional," Barchuk insists.

In case of having a history of breast cancer, the indication is to start the annual mammogram

youngest relative who has suffered it.

However, in the event that anyone detects any warning sign in the breasts -palpate a nodule, observe a pulling of the skin or the nipple, notice redness and edema, among others- an

should be made , "regardless of the age and the date of their last check-up", they underline from the SAM.

Does self control work?

Specialists agree that self-examination allows women to understand their bodies and their breasts, but they insist that

since when a nodule is palpable, the disease is not in its initial stages.

"The value of self-control is given, above all, in the fact that the woman is aware of the state of her breasts and

," said Verónica Fabiano, a staff doctor at the Gynecology and Mastology Service of the Alexander Institute. Fleming (IAF).

"If a woman incorporates the habit of checking herself every month at home, it is more likely that she will also have the corresponding medical check-ups with the necessary frequency," said in the framework of the EDA presentation, a virtual assistant on Facebook Messenger to promote awareness and early diagnosis. 

Although there are no strategies to completely prevent breast cancer, it is possible to take measures to

of developing the disease, among which are good eating habits, leading an active life, maintaining a healthy weight, not smoking, avoiding excessive alcohol consumption and not taking hormone replacement therapies in perimenopause, listed Sergio Rivero, clinical oncologist at the IAF and DIM health centers.

And he remembered that breastfeeding has a protective role.

Colon cancer: symptoms and controls

A sad paradox weighs on colon cancer in Argentina: despite the fact that it is

(to the point that 9 out of 10 cases can be avoided), it is the second with the most cases and deaths each year in the country (almost 16 thousand and 7500, respectively).

The main cause that explains this reality is that patients

, when the disease is already advanced.

The possibility of preventing most cases of colon or colorectal cancer (CRC) is due to the fact that in around 90% of them it is preceded by a precursor lesion, the adenomatous polyp, which grows slowly and silently (it can take a decade), which sets a window of time to

it from becoming a tumor.

As?

Through screening methods such as the fecal occult blood test and colonoscopy, mainly.

However, according to the latest National Survey of Risk Factors carried out in 2018, only

between the ages of 50 and 75 ever had one of these tests.

The guidelines indicate that

people, even if they do not have symptoms, should have regular check-ups.

"But there are people who have to start earlier," says Lisandro Pereyra, a gastroenterologist at the German Hospital and a member of ENDIBA (Endoscopists of Buenos Aires).

"If a person has a father who had cancer at the age of 40, he should start to be examined 10 years before. If we don't ask him, perhaps he comes at 50 and it may be too late," he points out.

Those who are at increased risk for other reasons, such as living with inflammatory bowel disease, should also start earlier.

In order to estimate the individual risk of developing colon cancer, Pereyra, together with his colleague Leandro Steimberg and other Argentine professionals, developed the intelligent tool Chequeátucolon, of free and open access that, through two calculators, informs 

and on measures that help prevent CRC.

"Age is one of the most important risk factors, but it cannot be modifiable. The incidence relationship is very clear, with an increase in risk after 50 years of age. In any case, it is important to mention

", added Federico Esteso, deputy head of Digestive Tumors at the IAF.

Specialists warn that the advance in the incidence of risk factors that can be modified, such as excess weight, a sedentary lifestyle and a poor diet, is what is favoring the development of colon cancer at earlier ages.

For this reason, in addition to regular check-ups (which make up secondary prevention), they recommend as part of

: eating a diet rich in fiber, especially vegetables and fruits;

reduce the consumption of red meat and fats of animal origin;

eat products rich in calcium (dairy);

perform physical exercise regularly and avoid being overweight;

reduce the consumption of alcoholic beverages and not smoke.

And they remember that

, all people who detect alarm signs, including anal bleeding during bowel movements and a change in the usual way of evacuating, abdominal pain, should make an immediate medical consultation. , rectal, weight loss or anemia.

Lung cancer: who should be checked

More than 12,000 new cases (almost 2 out of 3 in men) and some

occur in Argentina due to lung cancer.

It is the third type of cancer that generates the most cases and is associated with the highest number of deaths.

Smoking is the main risk factor for developing it (9 out of 10 people who suffer from it smoke), so not smoking or quitting is

.

It mainly affects people over

, although it can also occur in young people (in whom the cause is usually genetic).

Although in recent years there have been important innovations in treatment (with targeted therapies and immunotherapies), the big problem that lung cancer continues to face is not only that many people are still smokers (nearly one in four adults smoke in the country ), but since it does not give signs in early stages, it

, when its approach is more complex.

Cough (with or without blood), fatigue, weight loss, shortness of breath or pain associated with metastasis (when the cancer has spread to other locations such as bones or the brain, for example), are some of the symptoms that can manifest advanced lung cancer.

"With the aim of reversing this scenario and to address the problem of

, screening programs have been developed globally using low-dose chest tomographies of radiation in high-risk populations, defined by their age and their smoking history," explains Iris Boyeras, a pulmonologist at the Ángel Roffo Institute of Oncology and a member of the Argentine Association of Respiratory Medicine (AAMR).

Who makes up this high-risk population and when should controls start?

"Tomography is currently recommended in patients who have been

and who are between 55 and 75 years of age. It is in this group where it has been shown to reduce deaths from lung cancer," says Claudio Martin, head of Oncology IAF Thoracic.

This is established by the Argentine Consensus for Lung Cancer Screening, which was recently prepared by Argentine specialists.

As Martin indicates, there are two key factors that the consensus takes into account for the recommendation to evaluate people at higher risk: age and whether the person is or was a smoker.

A person between the ages of 55 and 75 with a history of smoking, with a history of smoking

(equivalent to 600 per year), who currently smokes or has quit within the last 15 years) should undergo early detection. with tomography.

Prostate cancer: the importance of the annual check-up

Prostate cancer is the most frequent cancer in men: it produces about

(one out of every five tumors detected in men) and causes more than 3,700 deaths.

The main risk factor for prostate cancer is age.

For this reason, from the age of 50, an annual urological control is recommended, which favors early diagnosis and allows establishing

.

Men with a family history should start checkups earlier.

The relevance of detecting it early is that, if necessary, treatment can

;

while there are cases in which only active monitoring (and no treatment) is indicated.

However, specialists warn that men usually come to the consultation in advanced stages of the disease, when they already experience symptoms, such as difficulty urinating, blood in the semen, bone pain, discomfort in the pelvic area and erectile dysfunction.

In order to stop being late, they insist on the recommendation to make an

to perform a digital rectal examination and a blood test for Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA, for its acronym in English). ).

The diagnosis is confirmed through a prostate biopsy.

"In the case of people with a close family history of prostate cancer, especially father and/or brother or a history of multiple tumors in the family of breast, ovarian or colon cancer, it is suggested to start with the controls

. Nearly 10% of prostate cancers may have a genetic predisposition," urologist Juan Ignacio Ramos Suppicich, from the Uro-Oncology section of the Urology Service of the Ramos Mejía Hospital, pointed out in a note with Clarín. .

Habits to prevent cancer

Apart from the genetic factors that can favor different types of cancer, a large number of cases are attributable to 

(linked to a

and a

),

,

,

(UV) and

.

In this sense, it is estimated that around 4 out of 10 cases could be avoided through the modification of behaviors linked to these risk factors.

"If we lead a healthy lifestyle, which includes eating well, exercising, not smoking, moderate alcohol intake, sun protection, and regular medical checkups,

a year would be avoided and we would detect as many times, being able to address them with more tools and a better prognosis," said Emilio Batagelj, an oncologist, current president of the Argentine Association of Clinical Oncology (AAOC).

Along the same lines and within the framework of World Cancer Day, LALCEC launched the campaign

, which invites the community to implement healthy lifestyle habits to prevent cancer and promote detection early.

"We know that the practice of healthy lifestyle habits has a positive impact on people's general state of health. Although each case is unique, and there are multiple factors due to which the disease can appear,

" , concluded the oncologist Carlos Silva, medical coordinator and the LALCEC Psychosocial Area.

Why is World Cancer Day celebrated on February 4?

is

observed every February 4 with the "goal of preventing millions of deaths each year by raising awareness and education about cancer and by lobbying governments and people around the world to take action against cancer." disease," explains the Union International Against Cancer (UICC) on its website.

The motto chosen for this year is

, which seeks to make visible the need to close the gap in care that affects the most disadvantaged sectors.

***

Do you want to read more about other types of cancer?

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➪ Cancer due to stress: Can anxiety and tension cause a tumor? 

➪The Mediterranean diet and its protective role against cancer: how to adapt it to the Argentine table

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: what are the alarm symptoms and how to prevent most cases 

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: how to prevent a disease four times more common in men 

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: what you need to know about this silent disease 

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: why cases are increasing, warning signs in the neck and how to live without the "butterfly" 

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: 9 risk factors and which ones you can modify 

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: the "B symptoms" of cancer of the lymphatic system and the hope of new treatments 

➪HPV, a very common virus that causes several types of cancer 

***

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