By Dr. José Manuel Mier Odriozola. Chest Surgeon / December 2016
What is the current situation with lung cancer in Mexico?
Lung cancer is the tumor disease that kills the most patients in the world annually.
Mexico City- February 4, 2016. Currently, lung cancer is the tumor disease that kills the most patients in the world. According to WHO data, it is estimated that 13,000 people died in 2013 alone in Mexico and the number is expected to increase to 20,000 by 2020.
From this data, only 17% of the patients can undergo surgery with curative intent and of these only in half will the desired objective be achieved, the rest of the patients will only be candidates to receive palliative treatment, to lengthen and improve the conditions of your illness.
Why is this situation happening?
The current landscape of this problem clearly has culprits who can be held responsible for the situation. Undoubtedly the most important is the increasing consumption of tobacco, worrying is, at this time the growing number of women smokers. Since 1964, the United States health agency warned of both cardiac and respiratory health risks, although there has been a decrease in tobacco consumption, when we analyze the data by gender, we find that the Women, far from diminishing, have increased in number in a worrying way.
Another important factor to take into account is that since September 2013, the WHO already considers living in a city with high levels of pollution a causative factor of lung cancer, some other industrial exposures, such as radon gas, asbestos, inks, etc, should be taken as a risk factor to be investigated.
What are we doing? What is currently being done is to identify the population at greatest risk for lung cancer and subject them to screening studies, in order to identify the disease at an early stage (Stage I or II), since it is these patients who possibly can benefit from curative treatment.
This population can be clearly identified with a simple 5-question questionnaire:
Over 50 years old
Smokers of more than 30 packs a year
Environmental or occupational exposure proven!
Immunosuppressed states due to medical or pharmacological causes
First degree family history of an airway tumor.
If the patient has 2 or more of these positive responses, they should undergo a low-dose chest tomography (study of choice for early detection of lung cancer), which has shown a reduction of up to 20% in mortality in the sick that have been detected in time.
How should lung cancer be operated?
Currently, it is recognized and accepted by the most prestigious American and European organizations that lung cancer in its early stages must be operated by minimally invasive, that is, by holes no larger than 25mm in which no separate instrument is used ribs, with this method a correct and complete oncological surgery can be obtained, which also offers many benefits to the patient, such as: less pain, faster recovery, fewer days of hospitalization, better oncological response, reduction in hospital costs.
Lung cancer is a complex disease that affects the entire body, therefore the treatment must be multidisciplinary. Ideally, they are patients who should be reviewed by the Thorax Surgeon, Pulmonologist, Medical Oncologist, Rehabilitator, Nutritionist, psychologist, so that in this way the treatment is personalized and the best possible results are guaranteed.
The thorax surgeon must have the current “National Council of Thorax Surgery” and be able to offer minimally invasive treatment to the patient, to offer the best treatment available in Mexico.
The problem of lung cancer is a very serious matter, which must be addressed professionally by a team prepared to guarantee the best results. The goal for the next few years is to invest the success rates in the treatment.
Is Lung Cancer curable?
By Dr. José Manuel Mier Odriozola. Chest Surgeon / December 2016
What is the current situation with lung cancer in Mexico?
Lung cancer is the tumor disease that kills the most patients in the world annually.
Mexico City- February 4, 2016. Currently, lung cancer is the tumor disease that kills the most patients in the world. According to WHO data, it is estimated that 13,000 people died in 2013 alone in Mexico and the number is expected to increase to 20,000 by 2020.
From this data, only 17% of the patients can undergo surgery with curative intent and of these only in half will the desired objective be achieved, the rest of the patients will only be candidates to receive palliative treatment, to lengthen and improve the conditions of your illness.
Why is this situation happening?
The current landscape of this problem clearly has culprits who can be held responsible for the situation. Undoubtedly the most important is the increasing consumption of tobacco, worrying is, at this time the growing number of women smokers. Since 1964, the United States health agency warned of both cardiac and respiratory health risks, although there has been a decrease in tobacco consumption, when we analyze the data by gender, we find that the Women, far from diminishing, have increased in number in a worrying way.
Another important factor to take into account is that since September 2013, the WHO already considers living in a city with high levels of pollution a causative factor of lung cancer, some other industrial exposures, such as radon gas, asbestos, inks, etc, should be taken as a risk factor to be investigated.
What are we doing? What is currently being done is to identify the population at greatest risk for lung cancer and subject them to screening studies, in order to identify the disease at an early stage (Stage I or II), since it is these patients who possibly can benefit from curative treatment.
This population can be clearly identified with a simple 5-question questionnaire:
If the patient has 2 or more of these positive responses, they should undergo a low-dose chest tomography (study of choice for early detection of lung cancer), which has shown a reduction of up to 20% in mortality in the sick that have been detected in time.
How should lung cancer be operated?
Currently, it is recognized and accepted by the most prestigious American and European organizations that lung cancer in its early stages must be operated by minimally invasive, that is, by holes no larger than 25mm in which no separate instrument is used ribs, with this method a correct and complete oncological surgery can be obtained, which also offers many benefits to the patient, such as: less pain, faster recovery, fewer days of hospitalization, better oncological response, reduction in hospital costs.
Lung cancer is a complex disease that affects the entire body, therefore the treatment must be multidisciplinary. Ideally, they are patients who should be reviewed by the Thorax Surgeon, Pulmonologist, Medical Oncologist, Rehabilitator, Nutritionist, psychologist, so that in this way the treatment is personalized and the best possible results are guaranteed.
The thorax surgeon must have the current “National Council of Thorax Surgery” and be able to offer minimally invasive treatment to the patient, to offer the best treatment available in Mexico.
The problem of lung cancer is a very serious matter, which must be addressed professionally by a team prepared to guarantee the best results. The goal for the next few years is to invest the success rates in the treatment.