Every February 4, World Cancer Day is commemorated to raise awareness and mobilize society for the prevention and control of this disease. With regards to Costa Rica, this country has recently invested $4, 3 million in a new linear accelerator, to enhance the battle against cancer. This resource was allocated to the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (CCSS), the equipment acquired is operating in the Hospital Mexico, located in the district of La Uruca, on the west side of San José. It will operate 16 hours a day, 5 days a week, allowing treating around 600 patients a year.
Increasing the nation’s capacity against Cancer.
To learn a little more about this medical apparatus, the CCSS executive president Román Macaya commented: “This linear accelerator increases our resolving capacity against cancer, to this we must add the “Joint Center for Radiotherapy” that we inaugurated last November that will have two additional accelerators, with which we are going to multiply our weapons to counter this disease”.
An important fact is that in Costa Rica every hour a new diagnosis of this disease is made, and according to data from the National Registry of Tumors, it is projected that by 2025, more than 17 thousand Costa Ricans a year will be diagnosed with this disease, an alarming figure given that today around 12 thousand cases are detected each year. Hence the vital importance of this device for the curative treatment of patients with breast cancer and soft tissue tumors. As well as palliative treatments of other cancer procedures.
In the same way, it will allow the realization of special therapies with two of the accelerators already installed. In total there will be five operational accelerators in the nation to help the Tica population in the fight against cancer.
Between 30% and 50% of cancers can be avoided, this is evidenced by the statistical data of the World Health Organization, but it is necessary to reduce risk factors and apply preventive strategies. Prevention also includes the early detection of the disease and the treatment of patients. If they are detected on time and treated adequately, the chances of recovery for many types of cancer are excellent. Health specialists recommend maintaining good eating habits and a healthy lifestyle. Also, regular medical controls, because early detection allows treating the disease in time and achieving high survivability rates.
In Costa Rica, 87% of women diagnosed with breast cancer have the possibility of survival, being one of the countries with the highest survival rate in the world, according to a study by the American Cancer Association.
Oncologist Rolando Loría, of the “Siglo XXI Medical Center for Radiotherapy” states that, “today cancer should not be synonymous with death, because the population is more informed about symptoms and some signs of the disease that allow early detection”. Dr. Loria highlights that the most common types of cancer in men are: “skin, prostate, stomach, colon, and lung; while in women: breast, stomach, colon, cervical and pancreas cancer.
Training of qualified professionals for the battle against cancer.
“The Best of San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium®” (SABCS) event was held in Costa Rica for the fourth consecutive year, which aimed to provide cutting-edge knowledge about breast cancer research. Likewise, information was provided on the experimental biology, etiology, prevention, diagnosis, and therapy of breast cancer, designed for a national and international audience of doctors, researchers, as well as academics.
This edition of “The Best of SABCS® Costa Rica 2020” conference, aimed to continue training professionals in the area to fight the disease and provide more survival and optimal-life opportunities for people with the condition.
From The Costa Rica News (TCRN), we invite you to lead a more healthy and harmonious life, in addition to visiting your trusted medical practitioner periodically for having your corresponding check-ups to prevent not only this disease but any other.
