- Prostate cancer is the leading cause of death in men over 60 years of age in Mexico.
- In the PrevenIMSS+ modules, tests are carried out for timely detection.
- In the CHKT Online tool, a questionnaire is answered that assesses whether the user is at low or high risk of prostate cancer.
Specialists from the Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS) promote in beneficiaries the early detection of prostate cancer through the symptom questionnaire, digital rectal examination and prostate antigen test. The objective is to achieve a complete and comprehensive evaluation after 45 years of age and to treat this disease in a timely manner, which in Mexico is the leading cause of death in people over 60 years of age.
Dr. Samuel Rivera Rivera, head of the Adult Oncology Care Division of the Oncology Care Coordination, indicated that, from the age of 45, men are recommended to go to their Family Medicine Unit (UMF). ). The aim is for the first contact doctor to carry out a evaluation of the prostate and, if malignancy is detected, start treatment early, with a high chance of cure.
Who is more at risk?
He explained that in men with one or more direct relatives with prostate cancer, of Afro-Mexican or African-American race, it is advisable that they approach the preventive services offered by Social Security from the age of 40. All are important risk factors for developing this condition at an early age.
He indicated that in PreventIMSS modules tests are carried out for timely detection and through the CHKT Online tool, a questionnaire is answered from the cell phone or tablet that assesses whether the user has a low or high risk of suffering from prostate cancer, and the possibility of scheduling a medical appointment .
He explained that the main function of the prostate is reproductive, as it is responsible for facilitating the mobility of sperm, and it naturally begins to grow as the years go by.
“The most common is to present a benign prostatic growth, but there are cases in which the growth of cells is disordered. They come to invade tissues that are around the prostate and even other parts of the body, which is what we know as metastases”.
Dr. Samuel Rivera stressed that the growth of the prostate commonly does not initially manifest with symptoms, but when they do occur there are alterations in urination such as urgency to urinate, more frequent at night, dribbling at term, or a sensation of “not finish”, pain or bleeding during sexual intercourse and even, when it affects other parts of the body, there may be discomfort not related to the urinary system.
He explained that the structures most frequently affected by prostate cancer are the bones, there may be pain in the skeletal system and there are patients who debut with a fracture, at which time it is discovered that they developed prostate cancer; They can also suffer damage to the liver and lungs.
“The problem is that men do not go for a check-up, or seek care when the development of symptoms causes a lot of discomfort and this is a reflection of the invasion of the cancer to different structures of the body. We know that culturally in our country we are not very fond of going to check-ups, but in reality, digital rectal examination is a very simple and quick examination, and in less than a minute you can have an overview of what is happening in the prostate, added to the prostate antigen test performed on blood.
He stated that in recent years the health sector has made an effort to have therapies to improve the expectations of patients with prostate cancer, innovative drugs with high effectiveness have been approved in order to provide treatments that translate into patients living longer time and with a better quality of life.
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This should be the correct care of prostate cancer according to the NOM