from chronicity to fair access

By gender the ones that will most affect men will be: prostate tumors, colon and rectum, lungs and bladder.

They will have a higher incidence mammary cancerThey are followed by tumors of the lungs, uterine body, pancreas, thyroid gland, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and bladder cancer.

And one of the main goals of the fight against cancer is to “advance our knowledge of the disease, why it occurs, and find a solution to everything related to the suffering of patients,” he explains “Health Guides” He Dr. Rafael LopezVice President of the IVF Foundation.

Certainly, The main goal is to “cure” this disease, which continues to be one of the causes of morbidity and mortality in Spain. And, the specialist clarifies, if a cure is not achieved, it is important to achieve its “chronization.”

Screening: the first step towards early detection

According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, In 2030, this disease will become the leading cause of death worldwide. With more than 21 million cases diagnosed.

From 30 to 50% of cancer cases can be avoided by leading a healthy lifestyle (exercise, varied and balanced diet, avoidance of tobacco and alcohol).

These are primary prevention measures, which, undoubtedly, must be combined with screening programs for early diagnosis, as Dr. Lopez, head of the medical oncology service at the University Hospital Complex of Santiago de Compostela, warns.

One of the fundamental principles of cancer control is mainly to carry out diagnostic tests for people who, although healthy,, belong to risk groups for developing the disease. For example, Breast cancer screening is performed for women aged 50 to 69 years. through mammography every two years.

• “Plans need to be developed to adapt to new European recommendations, which, for example, expand cervical cancer screening other population groups or screening for lung or stomach canceras there are still not many autonomies that are considering launching these early detection programs.

The difficult path of new drugs: up to 600 days of waiting

Dr. Rafael Lopez, speaking to this newspaper, notes that in the first decade of this century, Spain “was one of the countries that first gained access to innovations in treatment against cancer and now we’re in line”

Average, The medicine will appear in our country only in 600 days., compared to 133 in Germany and 240 in France. The European Union, for its part, recommends not exceeding 180 days.

And another setback, besides the time it takes for new drugs to arrive in Spain, is access: not available to everyone.

• “This creates problems because each autonomy sets its own rules, which means that in some regions things are slower than in others, and this is harmful to patients.”

And that’s one of the goals IVF Foundationthe first organization created by Spanish oncologists to globally analyze the specialty and discuss recommendations for its improvement.

• “We have known for a long time that delay in access to diagnostic tests, surgeries, radiation therapy or systemic treatment affects survival“

Tobacco responsible for many cases of cancer

tobacco is behind many types of cancersuch as the lungs, larynx, mouth, stomach, bladder, kidneys, liver, stomach or pancreas.

Therefore, the expert bets on tighten access for the youngest and raise the price. “Spain is one of the countries with the cheapest tobacco, and this does not make it easier to prevent its use.”

• “We need to adapt to the situation, cancer will continue to grow and we must prepare the healthcare system “so try to cure it as much as possible and make it chronic.”