Early diagnosis of colon cancer is key to reducing premature mortality

SANTIAGO DE CUBA, Cuba, Jun 2 (ACN) Dr. Letys González, coordinator of the cancer control program in the province of Santiago de Cuba, stressed the importance of early diagnosis of malignant colon tumors to help reduce the premature mortality rate linked to this disease.
In statements to ACN, the specialist emphasized the need for timely medical assistance at the level of primary health care (PHC) through family doctors qualified to evaluate and refer cases to oncologists, whereas secondary care in our hospitals is based on multidisciplinary consultations, conclusive analyses and decisions regarding therapeutic alternatives and case monitoring.

“Several factors are associated with the early detection of this disease, as patients are often unaware of digestive symptoms, which they ascribe to other problems and therefore take too long to seek medical help,” she remarked.

“Sometimes they even refuse to undergo important studies and procedures such as colonoscopies, so by the time a malignant lesion is detected it is already at an advanced histological stage and prone to serious complications. On the other hand,” she added, “the effects of the hostile U.S. Cuba policy are even worse in the context of the fight against COVID-19 and bring additional pressure to bear on the Public Health system by preventing the purchase of life-saving materials, equipment and supplies.”

However, experts in this branch of oncology use other combinations of drugs to avoid interrupting the therapies deemed essential for the patient’s evolution.

Finally, she highlighted the need to alert the population to the damage caused by unhealthy lifestyle habits such as alcohol consumption and smoking, both risk factors for colon cancer.