Cancer in Canary Islands
El 2018 closed the year with 11.384 new cancer cases on the islands, with special incidence in tumors of colon y straight. Of this figure they differ 6.509 were detected in men y 4.875 in women, according to the Population Registry of Cancer of the Canary Islands. The Ministry of Health issued a statement highlighting that for each 10 cases diagnosed in women are diagnosed 13 cases in men and the estimated gross rate has been 537 cases for each 100.000 men against 407,3 for each 100.000 women.
The truth is that in our community, cancer represents the first cause of death in men and the second in women. From 1993 we have the Population Registry of Cancer of the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands (RPCC) whose objective is to know the cancer rates in our territory.
The main types of cancer are colon y straight, prostate , mom, windpipe, bronchi y lung.
What are the main risk factors?
Smoking, drinking, obesity, lack of exercise and poor diet
Many types of cancer could be prevented by avoiding exposure to common risk factors such as tobacco smoke, changing the lifestyle and acquiring healthy eating habits, practicing more exercise and generally limiting excesses. In addition, a significant percentage of cancers can be cured by surgery, radiotherapy or chemotherapy, especially if they are detected at an early stage.
Prevention and early detection They are essential to stop the alarming increase in the incidence of this disease. Cancer is a process of uncontrolled growth and spread of cells that can appear virtually anywhere in the body. The tumor usually invades the surrounding tissue and can cause metastasis at distant points in the body. Hence, prevention and early detection are key to stop the increase in the incidence of this disease.
Around a 30% of deaths are due to the five risk factors related to lifestyles and diet: tobacco use, alcohol consumption, high body mass index (overweight and obesity), reduced intake of fruits and vegetables, and lack of physical activity.
