Doctor of Medicine with more than 25 years of experience as a specialist in Medical Oncology in Valencia. He is currently Head of the Medical Oncology Service at the Valencian Institute of Oncology and President of the Technical Committee of the Spanish Association Against Cancer. In addition, he is the author and co-author of 20 books on his specialty, more than 60 publications in Spanish and foreign medical journals and more than 200 scientific communications at national and international congresses.
Cancer is a major health problem in developed countries. In Spain, around 247,771 new cases are diagnosed each year, and this incidence continues to increase due to the aging of the population and changes in lifestyle habits. Although the chances of a cure are increasing every day, thanks to advances in diagnosis and treatment, 106,034 patients still die of this disease every year in Spain.
Fortunately, every day we know better which are the factors that increase the risk of developing cancer and we can affirm that today we could prevent at least half of the cancers that occur in adults.
Tips to prevent cancer
We must eliminate tobacco and alcohol, avoid obesity, do moderate exercise, and eat a healthy diet, with less processed foods (with excess fats, sugars and additives) and foods rich in fiber, fruits and vegetables.
Likewise, we need to increase the use of vaccines against hepatitis B, which is the main cause of hepatocellular carcinoma, and vaccines against human papillomavirus, the main cause of cervical cancer.
The great importance of diagnosis
In cases where it has not been possible to prevent the disease, it is necessary to take advantage of all the current possibilities for early diagnosis. Following the recommendations of scientific societies, it is currently only recommended to carry out early diagnosis campaigns for cervical cancer, breast cancer and colon cancer, by means of cervical cytology, mammography between 50 and 69 years of age and fecal occult blood test and/or colonoscopy, from 50 years of age onwards. Colonoscopy can identify primary malignant tumors and, in addition, remove polyps that could degenerate into malignant tumors.
Two other tumors could benefit from screening campaigns, lung cancer with low-irradiation chest CT and prostate cancer with PSA.