cancer awareness month

• Pablo Mateo

There are cancers that we can prevent and others that we cannot. Within urology, for example, prostate cancer cannot be prevented; It can be diagnosed early in order to be able to treat it on time, and have a high possibility of curing it, but for this we need to create more awareness in the population, and that men go periodically to their evaluation with the urologist. ; logo, and that when there is a history of prostate cancer or breast cancer, in direct relatives (father, mother and siblings), then the evaluation should be more frequent, at least two times a year.

Other cancers can be prevented, for example, in urology, that of the penis, yes. It can be avoided, since it is a cancer in which the presence of the human papillomavirus, or HPV, is vital for it to develop. Therefore, if we diagnose this virus in a patient and he or she is treated with the appropriate protocol, it is difficult. It is easy for penile cancer to develop.

In many cases, to prevent penile cancer we must combine circumcision, which is removing the foreskin, and use of vaccines, since This is the best way to prevent human papilloma and therefore prevent penile cancer, which is so common in our country. There are more than 100 types of human papilloma, but there are around 14 high-risk and cancer-related types, two of which are HPV16 and HPV18, which are the cause of most cases. cancers related to the human papillomavirus.

The human papillomavirus vaccine can be used in men and women up to 43-44 years of age, but the earlier we apply the vaccines, better protection, hence the recommendation to vaccinate boys and girls between 9 and 14 years of age. 

When in doubt, visit your uro ;logo.