- The Detecto program is the first focused on the detection of lung cancer in Mexico.
- To carry it out, a total of 496 people between the ages of 50 and 75 were screened.
- Since 2018, every April 5th marks the National Day against Lung Cancer.
Among the wide variety of projects of the National Institute of Cancerology (INCan) stands out the first free program in Mexico for the timely detection of lung cancer. His name is Detecto and after more than a year of analysis finally the results were published.
The specialist of the Thoracic Oncology Functional Unit of this institute, Luis Antonio Cabrera Mirandareported that since 2021, 496 low-dose chest CT scans have been performed on people with risk factors and active smokers were referred to the Smoking Clinic of this same institute.
Screening was performed on people between 50 and 75 years of age, without symptoms and with some risk factor such as active tobacco use, ex-smokers, exposed to wood smoke for food preparation, with a diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ( COPD) or history of tuberculosis. While interested people can schedule a valuation appointment.
April 5 I National Day against #Lung cancer 🫁
This cancer begins in the lungs, and in the cells that surround the bronchi, bronchioles, and/or alveoli.
Learn more at:
➡ https://t.co/AtHNIhRJ6X
➡ https://t.co/Pn0tR17QdL#I take care of myself #ForLoveForLife pic.twitter.com/MlawgWunRo– HEALTH Mexico (@SSalud_mx) April 5, 2023
Currently, INCan’s Thoracic Oncology Functional Unit provides care for four thousand 636 people with lung cancer. While in 2022 306 new patients were incorporated.
He pointed out that about 70 percent of cases are diagnosed at a late stage, which reduces treatment options. He detect program, which is applied in the Thoracic Oncology Functional Unit, saves lives because it allows diagnosis of the disease in its initial phase. This facilitates timely treatment and, consequently, decreases the mortality rate from neoplasia.
A difficult tumor to identify
He also explained that the lung cancer It is a silent neoplasm because the symptoms appear when the tumor is in an advanced stage and has spread to other organs.
He pointed out that lung cancer is potentially curable when properly diagnosed and treated in its early stages. In the advanced phase, the survival of people is between three and five years.
Lung cancer is the fifth most frequent neoplasia among the Mexican population. ANDThe advancement of medicine, the use of advanced technologies and new treatments improve survival and reduce the symptoms of the disease.
National Lung Cancer Day
Since 2018, April 5 has been designated as National Lung Cancer Day. One of its objectives is to highlight the importance of prevention and timely detection. In addition, it also has the goal of recommending avoiding tobacco use, eating a balanced diet, and doing physical activity.
For his part, he Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) mentions that the lung cancer It is already the one with the highest mortality in our country. This translates into the death of 22 people daily. The reasons are varied but mainly that it is a very difficult tumor to combat in advanced stages. To this we must add that 77 percent of patients see a specialist too late.
Also read:
National Day against Lung Cancer: The biggest challenge is its timely detection
Health ephemeris of April: World Health, Parkinson’s and MIP Day
INFOGRAPHIC: The panorama of Mexico for the National Day against Lung Cancer