Key Techniques for Early Detection and Treatment of Cancer

Key to detecting cancer are: digital mammograms, sedation colonoscopies and low-dose radiation thoracic CT scans. “Three minimally invasive techniques that help to discover a malignant breast, colon or lung tumor when the chances of cure are still good” Dr. Santiago Viteri, member of The Doctors, Clinical Coordinator and Medical Oncologist at the Dr. Rosell Oncology Institute, Barcelona, explains to us exclusively. “They are more precise tests, capable of detecting incipient nodules and with very few risks.”

The weak point of cancer

In the first stage of the disease, chemotherapy and radiotherapy are still the most common and effective treatments, especially when the tumor is very localized. If there are metastases or if the cancer is more advanced, at the Instituto Oncologico Dr. Rosell look at the possibility of combining traditional treatments with targeted therapies or immunotherapy. “We carry out an exhaustive genetic examination and look for the weak point of the cancer, we attack it with a specific treatment for that tumor and, in certain cases, we also reprogram the immune system to detect the cancer cells and attack them,” explains the prestigious doctor.

Positive figures

The year 2013 has left us with a very encouraging figure: the number of deaths from cancer has fallen compared to the previous year. The decrease is 1.3% according to the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology (SEOM). The reason for this decrease, according to Dr. Viteri is none other than health awareness “more and more patients are coming regularly for check-ups” together with the new detection and prevention programs that some Autonomous Communities such as Navarra, Catalonia or Madrid have set up; hospitals directly summon citizens to come for a check-up.