World Cancer Day: What are the most common types and what to do to prevent them

The word "cancer" generates respect for anyone who hears it. It is a disease that is usually related to death, but not all types are the same and many factors, such as early detection and a healthy lifestyle, can help prevent it from occurring.

Every 4 February, World Cancer Day is celebrated with the slogan "We can, I can", raise awareness about the disease and the importance of acquire habits to prevent this disease.

Some types of cancer are of genetic origin, while others are at the root of an unhealthy lifestyle and harmful habits for the body, such as smoking. , a bad diet or alcohol abuse. These latter could be avoided between 30 and 40 percent of the time.

That is why it is essential to start by adopting a healthy lifestyle and going to the doctor regularly for routine examinations to quickly detect the disease. The most common types of cancer today are: bad, cervical and colon.

Quickly detect any type of cancer allows you to do it specific treatments with a better prognosis in terms of therapeutic possibility and better survival without disease.

Breast cancer

Breast cancer is currently the most common cancer in women. In fact, one in eight people who are 80 years of age have had this disease. 95% of cases can be cured if they are detected early.

One of the basic preventive measures is self-scanning, that everyone must perform every month, without exception, always in the same phase of the cycle. The most common warning is the palpation of a tumor, a nodule or a hardness of the bad, although there are other less serious symptoms, such as retractions or sagging of the skin or nipple, redness of the skin, desquamation or loss of blood through the nipple. or palpation of a lump in the armpit.

If you observe any of these factors, consult your doctor. Also, ask the professional when you should start doing mammograms and other screening tests based on your personal history.

Cervical cancer

The main cause of gynecological death in Argentina, it is cervical cancer. This type of virus is caused in 100% of cases by the human papillomavirus (HPV or HPV).

It is estimated that 8 out of 10 badually active people have had or will have contact with one type of HPV in their lifetime. In most cases, the body controls the infection. Only a small percentage may progress to precancerous lesions or cancer.

There are two prevention methods: primary and secondary. The first refers to the vaccination, very effective in reducing HPV infection, which is included in the national immunization schedule for girls from 11 years and up for a few years, also applies to boys.

Once exposed to the HPV virus, it applies secondary prevention that refers to early detection methods as part of the annual gynecological checks that a badually active woman must perform. The principal is Pap. It is advisable to perform this study in the first three years after the start of badual intercourse or at age 21 in patients who have not yet had bad.

In women who have never been exposed to the virus, it would be enough to an annual smear until age 65, while in those who have been, until 75 years old It would be the most prudent.

Colon Cancer

Unlike most cancers, this type of cancer offers many opportunities for preventive action. This occurs because in 90% of cases, develops from precancerous lesions called polyps. These are excrescences of the intestinal mucosa, which persist in their development, end up generating the disease.

"There is a lot of time since the appearance of polyps until the establishment of the tumor. there are many possibilities to extract them and avoid disease"exposed to ComfortNicolás Rotholtz, head of the general surgery department of the German hospital and director of the coloproctology career at the University of Buenos Aires (MN: 88461).

The population at risk is Anyone over the age of 50 (up to age 75) regardless of gender. The worldwide recommendation is that from this age, men and women, without antecedents, conduct a diagnostic study to identify whether or not the presence of asymptomatic polyps. If the study is normal and well done, they should be repeated every ten years, at which time the polyps can lead to malignant tumors.

The main and most sensitive study is the videocolonscopy. But besides, there are others, like the enema colon, which does not have an image and should be done every 5 years; and a first approach can be performed by means of a blood test in the stool: a method for detecting hemoglobin in the feces that triggers further studies in case of a positive test must be performed each year.