Public Health recommends healthy habits to prevent cancer

February 4th is World Cancer Day. the date on which health agencies take action to raise public awareness of the the importance of healthy lifestyles as a way to prevent cancer pathologies.

The term cancer is generic and refers to a broad group of diseases that can affect any part of the body, such as the lungs, liver, intestines, colon, bad, cervix, uterus, prostate, skin, esophagus, mouth, etc. Other names used to describe this pathology are "malignant tumors" or "malignant neoplasms".

A cancerous tumor can come from any part of the body and cause metastases, which means that other organs are invaded by abnormal cells that multiply rapidly.

In some cases, The cure can be obtained by surgery, radiotherapy or chemotherapy, depending on the evolution of the tumor. It is therefore very important to detect it early and to follow appropriate and systematic treatment. Immunotherapy and hormone therapy are other methods of treating cancer.

In the prevention of cancerous diseases, it is essential to lead a healthy life, to take into account the behavioral and food risk factors, to avoid the consumption of tobacco and alcohol, of the unprotected exposure to the sun, of an unhealthy diet, overweight, obesity and physical inactivity.

30% of cancer deaths are related to tobacco and alcohol use, overweight and obesity, lack of physical activity, and low fruit and vegetable consumption. vegetables. Exposure to ultraviolet (solar radiation), viral infections, such as those caused by the viruses of hepatitis B and C, human papilloma (HPV) and human immunodeficiency, are known to occur. 39, other factors that influence the course of the disease. (HIV)

Early detection is essential to prevent cancer deaths, as the disease in its initial phase has a high potential for healing, particularly in the cervix and bads. Therefore, the Ministry of Public Health recommends early consultation of a physician before any symptoms or abnormalities observed in the functioning of the body.

Public services

At San Bernardo Hospital, there is an oncology department with two offices, open from Monday to Friday from 9am to 12pm. In 2018, 2800 consultations were attended by patients over 15 years of age.

In addition, this hospital has a hospital area and a chemotherapy room with five chairs. In the case of patients without social work, the drugs are provided by the oncology program of the Ministry of Public Health.

The Señor del Milagro Hospital has an oncology sector to which patients are referred following the intervention of the clinician. The clinical medicine sector provides care from Monday to Friday. Travel is granted via the toll free 148 line or in personal form from Monday to Friday from 7 am, with ID; and Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, also from 12:30.

General recommendations

A healthy lifestyle is to eat more fruits and vegetables, legumes, whole grains and nuts; reduce the consumption of animal fats contained in sausages, sausages, lard and whole milk. You should also avoid the consumption of trans fatty acids found in baked goods, sweets and snacks.

This also involves doing physical activity daily and for at least 30 minutes, to avoid excessive consumption of alcohol, to avoid smoking, not to expose oneself to in the sun without protection between 10 and 17 years, especially children under three years and people under 3 years. white skin, hair and light eyes.

To prevent cervical cancer in adulthood, 11-year-old girls should receive the free and mandatory human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine throughout the country. Women, from the age of 25, should take a Pap test every three years and consult the gynecologist for any abnormalities.

It is recommended that women aged 50 to 70 years have a mammogram every two years and have a bad exam.

To prevent colorectal cancer, men and women over the age of 50 should be tested for fecal occult blood. Similarly, men over 65 must undergo medical tests to prevent prostate cancer.

The cancerous tumor

A cancerous tumor originates in the cells, which are the basic building blocks of the body. The body is made up of many types of cells, which normally grow and divide to produce new cells, essential for maintaining the health of the body.

When this process becomes uncontrollable, it can happen that cells continue to form, which the body does not need and the old cells do not die. It is then that forms a mbad of tissue called a tumor, which can be benign or malignant. Only malignant tumors are cancerous, because in the case of benign tumors, the cells do not spread to other parts of the body, they can be eliminated and, in most cases, they do not reappear.

On the contrary, the cells of malignant tumors divide without control and without order, they can invade and destroy the tissues, penetrate the blood or the lymphatic system and spread to other organs, called metastases.

Risk factors

Cancer shares some major lifestyle risk factors with the major chronic noncommunicable diseases (NCTs): low fruit and vegetable intake, low physical activity, overweight and obesity, smoking and excessive alcohol consumption.

In Argentina, every four years from 2005, the national TCE risk factor survey is conducted to investigate the main factors of exposure to this group of diseases, including cancer.

The 2013 survey shows the following prevalence as a percentage of the Argentine population that refers to the presentation of the main risk factors:

Low fruit and vegetable consumption: 95.1%

Excess weight: 57.9%

Low physical activity: 54.7%

Smoking: 25.1%

Regular consumption of alcohol risk: 7.8%

At the national level, the average daily portion of fruits or vegetables consumed per person was 1.9, while the World Health Organization recommends the consumption of 5 servings of these products per day, which would represent only 5% ration. Argentine population. It is estimated that increased consumption of fruits and vegetables could reduce the burden of cancer morbidity from the esophagus, stomach, lungs, colon and rectum.

The high body mbad index (BMI), both in women and men, is said to be responsible for 4% of malignant tumors in adults. In women, a high BMI is linked to tumors of the endometrium, bad, postmenopausal stage and colon-rectum. This risk factor is also badociated with tumors of the esophagus, kidney, pancreas, gall bladder and ovaries.

Regular physical activity decreases the incidence of malignancies such as colorectal cancer and bad cancer. According to the 2013 survey, the percentage of women surveyed who reported low physical activity was 57% and, in the case of men, 52 years old. The prevalence is higher among people over 65, which corresponds to 68% of the low level of physical activity. .

More than 70% of deaths from lung cancer, bronchi and trachea are attributed to smoking, although this figure has decreased in recent years in the Argentine population. An badociation has been established between the consumption of alcohol and cancer of the oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, liver, colon-rectum and bad. An badociation with pancreatic and lung cancer is also suspected.