Home > Health > View from the Top

A Powerful Warrior to Fight Against a Powerful Enemy

Abelardo Meneses - National Institute of Cancer (INCan)
Director

STORY INLINE POST

Wed, 09/05/2018 - 11:00

share it

At the end of the 20th century, Mexico underwent an epidemiological transition from infectious to chronic diseases. As the country’s economy grew stronger, public policies implemented by the government helped reduce deaths due to infection. Life expectancy increased and new challenges appeared. According to the OECD, in 2012 there were 131.5 cases of cancer per 100,000 people in Mexico while INEGI data show that about 70,000 people die of malignant tumors every year. To reduce the number of deaths and health expenditures related to chronic diseases, organizations like the National Institute of Cancer (INCan) believe prevention is a key strategy when addressing the new medical profile of the Mexican population, particularly cancer.

To deal with this emergency, we lean on two pillars. First, the administration of a national registry that allows us to know the real penetration of cancer in the country and second, the execution of a national plan that includes prevention strategies, early diagnosis, access to treatment, palliative care and rehabilitation,” says Abelardo Meneses, Director of INCan.

For years, INCan had sought the creation of a national cancer registry to record each new cancer diagnosis. The new regulation was finally implemented in June 2017. Three types of records are kept: hospital data, the histopathological study performed by pathology departments and a population-based cancer registry that reflects the country’s situation. “All institutions, both public and private, must report each case diagnosed. The registry requires the commitment of the state and municipal governments and the first city to host it was Merida,” says Meneses. The project was born with the support of third parties, but now it will receive a budget allocated by the federal government. Following Merida’s example, the registry was launched in Guadalajara and will soon come online in Nuevo Leon and Baja California.

INCan expects the registry to improve the impact of the Programa Integral de Prevención y Control de Cáncer (Integral Program for Cancer Control and Prevention), its second pillar. Meneses says that 40 percent of tumors can be prevented by simply modifying lifestyles. “Today, cancer is one of the four major causes of death. Tobacco consumption, high-calorie diets, exposure to cancer agents, exposure to UV rays and lack of physical activity are the major contributors,” says Meneses. Tobacco use is responsible for one-third of all cancer tumors and 16,000 annual cancer deaths. “The impact of tobacco on health spending is approximately MX$61 billion, while the government’s return from the Special Tax on Production and Services (IEPS) on tobacco consumption totals just MX$38 billion.”

Early diagnosis, the second strategy, is vital for breast, colon, cervix and prostate cancer, some of the most common cancers among Mexicans, according to the WHO. In Mexico, 70 percent of patients with chronic diseases are already in an advanced stage when they finally visit a healthcare facility. In response, the institute has opened diagnostic and prevention clinics. Each year, it also organizes a ‘Cancerathon’ to raise funds. Clinics are open to everyone and provide a diagnosis that is subsequently sent to the health institution at which the patient is registered. All pathologies diagnosed in the clinics are covered by Seguro Popular if the patient does not belong to a health provider.

In addition to the national cancer registry and its integral program, INCan is committed to improving the number of oncologists available in the country, and educating general practitioners. According to Meneses, in 2016, there were 1,781 cancer specialists in Mexico, when there should be five times that amount to achieve complete coverage. INCan is lobbying the Senate, Congress and the Ministry of Health and Public Education to make oncology mandatory at all medical, odontology and nursing faculties. “Today it takes almost seven months from the patient’s arrival at the hospital until diagnosis.”

The institution is also taking steps toward innovation in the treatment of cancer. “We acquired a cyclotron and since August 2017, the institute has had an area focused on the production of solutions for diagnosis and treatment."

 

You May Like

Most popular

Newsletter