- During the last decades, chronic and infectious diseases have decreased but cases of tumors have increased.
- Some harmful habits common in Mexico such as inadequate diet, obesity and lack of physical activity increase the risk of cancer.
- The WHO designated September as Blood Cancer Awareness Month.
In Mexico, around 195,500 cases of cancer in its different types are diagnosed each year. Of this figure, 46 percent of patients die from this cause, said the head of the Hematology Department of the National Cancer Institute (INCan), Brenda Acosta Maldonado.
He explained that cancer in all its forms is increasing, due to increased life expectancy. At the same time, he has improved the detection of these conditions, as a result of technological advances that facilitate diagnosis.
Cancer x-ray in Mexico: Symptoms and most frequent types
He added that other factors associated with the development of cancer are harmful habits such as inadequate diet, overweight, obesity and lack of physical activity. The less healthy the person is, the greater the risk of neoplasia.
Cancer, a growing problem in Mexico
There are two main types of cancer: solid tumors, such as those of the breast and prostate, and those of the blood, such as leukemia, multiple myeloma and lymphoma. In both cases, early detection and effective treatment are decisive for patient survival in the majority of patients.
He remembered that September was designated as Blood Cancer Awareness Month. The head of the INCan Hematology Department emphasized that, in Mexico, leukemia occupies ninth place in terms of the number of cases; non-Hodgkin lymphoma is in tenth place; multiple myeloma is 19; and Hodgkin lymphoma, 20.
2020 figures from National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi) indicate that, in Mexico, leukemia represented 50 percent of childhood cancers and is one of the main causes of death from cancer in adult males. This type of cancer originates from the uncontrolled increase in blood and/or bone marrow cells.
Multiple myeloma mainly impacts those over 60 years of age and to a lesser extent people between 30 and 50 years of age. It is a cancer of plasma cells, which are found in the bone marrow and are an important component of the immune system.
Cancer in Mexico: 5 reasons behind its high mortality
Lymphoma is a type of malignant tumor that affects lymphatic tissue and can appear in any organ. However, up to 98 percent of cases are curable with early detection and appropriate treatment.
The specialist in hematology oncology said that there are 42 types of lymphomas that are grouped into: Hodgkin lymphoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Of the first there are four subtypes, the most common is known as nodular sclerosis. There are 38 subtypes of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, the most common being diffuse large cell lymphoma, which affects girls, boys and young people, and follicular lymphoma, which is more common in people over 60 years of age.
He cited some symptoms that a patient with lymphoma presents: growth of one or more groups of nodes in the neck, armpits or groin, weight loss, excessive sweating and fever in the afternoon or night.
Explained the process of cancer development. Blood is made up of red blood cells and white blood cells, the latter representing the body’s defenses; and both separate as if they were different types of soldiers or lines of defense. When any of these groups develop uncontrolled, they can cause lymphomas, multiple myeloma or leukemia.
The INCan specialist said that in highly specialized hospitals the treatment is multidisciplinary; However, in most cases, people seek medical attention for the first time when the cancer is very advanced, due to inadequate diagnosis or interruption of medical care by patients, which prevents the follow-up of this disease that puts your life at risk.
Also read:
Cancer in Mexico: 5 reasons behind its high mortality
INCan will host the largest meeting on cancer prevention in Mexico
Cancer x-ray in Mexico: Symptoms and most frequent types