In this department in the period 2011-2020, 9,833 deaths from cancer were recorded: 5,035 corresponded to women and 4,798 to men.
In this section of the country, there are an estimated 2,054 incident cases of cancer annually, which correspond to 2.5% of those registered in Colombia during the period 2012-2016, said Deby Puerto, public health coordinator of the National Cancer Institute, at the socialization day. of the recent study on the “Panorama of cancer in Cauca: challenges and opportunities”, which was carried out this November 14 by said institution at the Monasterio hotel in Popayán.
The official indicated that the estimated annual incidence of major cancers was recorded in men at 58.8% leukemia, thyroid, colon-rectum, stomach, prostate and in the female population with 58.0% colon-rectum, cervix, thyroid and of breast.
Regarding the annual mortality due to the main cancers registered in Cauca, in men with 63.8% leukemia, colon-rectum, lung, prostate and stomach; while in women the study showed a 55.0% death rate due to cancers of the lung, colon-rectum, breast, cervix and stomach.
Likewise, the professional from the National Cancer Institute indicated that mortality from major causes in Cauca as a consequence of this disease, for the period 2013-2021, was 56,426, which corresponds to 2.5% of the deaths in the country, with a higher proportion in men with 32,538 which means 57.7%.
Mortality due to malignant neoplasms, also called cancer or malignant tumor, which is characterized by the uncontrolled and abnormal proliferation of cells due to alterations in DNA, was the third cause in men, corresponding to 14.0% after diseases of the circulatory system with a 26.8% and the second cause in women which is 19.9%.
It is worth highlighting some general signs and symptoms associated with cancer such as fatigue, lump or thickening area that can be felt under the skin, unintentional weight gain or loss, changes in the skin such as yellowish pigmentation, darkening or redness of the skin, sores that do not heal or changes in existing moles, as well as changes in bladder or bowel evacuation habits, among others.
This study also indicates how many people are diagnosed with cancer and die from the disease each year in the country, how many people are currently diagnosed with cancer, the average age at diagnosis, and the number of people alive after diagnosis .
The report also indicates differences between groups defined by age, sex, race or ethnicity, geographic location, and other categories. With cancer statistics, trends are also identified to study the rates of this pathology over time, which makes it possible to follow changes in the risk of developing cancer in general or specific cancers and of dying from them.
“The National Cancer Institute underwent a transformation process as this year it changed its legal nature and received new powers granted by the national government to carry out territorial deployment of public health actions as a technical advisory body for the country’s departments. In that sense, one of the departments that we prioritize is Cauca, in which we want to support a work path in cancer during the coming years, in order to reduce the incidence of mortality from this pathology,” finally stated the professional Deby Puerto.