director National Epidemiological Center of the Carlos III Institute of HealthMarina Pollán warns Spain’s aging population has left the health system facing a “tsunami” of cancer cases.
This was highlighted in the framework of the conference “How to reduce cancer risk?”Prevention, Research”, organized by the National Cancer Research Center (CNIO) on this occasion World Cancer Research Day.
The incidence of cancer is increasing. In the next two decades, the world is expected to grow by 47%. Elisabete Weiderpass, director of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the World Health Organization (WHO), said this represented “increasing pressure on public finances and health budgets”.
In this sense, he recalled during the event that countries with fewer resources, without the technology to diagnose and treat cancer and “without the appropriate political climate” for effective prevention will be the “most affected” by the increase in cancer cases. . This is what is expected around the world.
However, the impact of poverty on cancer risk is also seen in rich countries, given the incidence rates among different social groups. There is a “huge disparity” in cervical cancer death rates in Europe between the wealthiest women with better education and the poorest with less education, the director of the International Agency for Research on Cancer has said. “To avoid this, it is necessary that screening campaigns mainly target women of lower socioeconomic status,” he added.
Tobacco, the main enemy
Regarding major lifestyle habits and carcinogens, Wadepas first pointed to tobacco. “He is public enemy number one.The most important step we should take today is to eliminate tobacco globallyHe said he expressed his “concerns” about new consumption methods such as e-cigarettes. “They open the door for a new generation to become dependent on a substance that is killing many people,” he warned.
On the other hand, the herbicide glyphosate, widely used in European agriculture, is “possibly carcinogenic” because the World Health Organization has solid evidence that it causes cancer in animal and cell models, but not enough data in humans. Also in the same category are red meat and night shift work, among others.
Aspartame is a sweetener whose consumption does not prevent obesity and is considered “possibly carcinogenic.” This is a subgroup of the classification for which there is even less evidence in humans, and which includes risks such as occupational exposure for hairdressing and barbershop workers.
Alcohol, obesity and vaccine-preventable infections
Experts also point to obesity as an “increasingly important” factor in increasing the risk of 12 different types of cancer.Vedpath remembers The importance of limiting intake of high-calorie and ultra-processed products; Eat more fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, and nuts; and get physical activity every day.
As for alcohol, Vedpath recalled that it has been linked to as many as seven different types of cancer. “Just two drinks a day can be enough to cause very significant damage,” Wadepas said.
Another risk factor is infection. The most important pathogens are Helicobacter pylori, human papillomavirus (HPV), and hepatitis B and C. “Fortunately, we have at least two very effective vaccines: against HPV and against hepatitis B,” he said. Weiderpass added. “Investing in vaccination is one of the most effective measures a government can take,” he recalled.
Spanish data
Poland updated data on smoking and obesity in Spain, stating: 20% of Spanish adults smoke and two-thirds of men and half of women are overweight. As in other countries, the problem affects more disadvantaged areas.
Experts point out “abandoning” the Mediterranean diet. “We are changing our Anglo-Saxon-influenced eating habits, and the consequences are already showing in morbidity, particularly colorectal cancer, which is now one of the leading tumors in our country,” he details.
The “botellón” of young Spaniards also worries experts. “They’re consuming a lot of alcohol in a very short period of time. We still don’t have the epidemiological method to measure how that translates into cancer rates, but it won’t,” predicted the director of the National Epidemiology Center.
Finally, Weiderpass, Pollan and CNIO Director Maria A. Blasco insisted on the importance of public prevention policies. The three agreed that “healthy things should be made easy and unhealthy things should be made difficult.”