“The annual increase in cancer cases in Mexico is worrying and we must continue to raise awareness about this condition to increase its detection and timely treatment. There are different types of cancer and today, thanks to a proper diagnosis and through innovative and state-of-the-art treatments, patients can improve their quality of life,” said Dr. Max Saráchaga, medical director of Amgen Mexico.
Breast cancer can develop in both men and women, but it is much more common in women; campaigns to raise awareness about this condition and advances in diagnosis and treatment have helped survival rates have increased, currently in Latin America, 90% of women with breast cancer have a 5-year survival rate and 83% have an average survival rate of 10 years.
For breast cancer there are different diagnostic tests such as the breast exam that consists of a touch on the bust; mammography, which is an x-ray of the breast; breast ultrasound, which uses sound waves to produce images of breast structures, magnetic resonance imaging of the breast, and biopsy, which is the only definitive way to accurately diagnose the existence of this neoplasm.
“Once the diagnosis is made, there are different treatments for breast cancer, from surgery to remove the cancer, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, targeted therapy drugs and immunotherapy. There are also supportive therapies that seek to reduce the risk of complications related to treatment.” said Dr. Max Sarachaga.
For its part, lung cancer is a type of cancer that develops in the lungs, which are two spongy organs located in the chest that take in oxygen when inhaled and release carbon dioxide when exhaled. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide, during 2020 more than 1.7 million deaths were reported. Lung cancer is divided into two main types, the small cell and non-small cell the latter being the most frequent since it represents 85-90% of cases.
Lung cancer generally produces no signs or symptoms in its earliest stages. Signs and symptoms of lung cancer usually present only when the disease is advanced and can include a constant cough, coughing up blood, shortness of breath, chest pain, hoarseness, unintentional weight loss, pain in the bones and headache
“To make the diagnosis of this neoplasm, a chest tomography must first be done to identify irregularities in the lungs. Once the diagnosis is confirmed, medical treatment plans may also include surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy and/or target therapy. For non-small cell lung cancer, there are innovative treatments such as the KRAS protein inhibitorG12, which has shown encouraging results and is designed to treat adults with metastatic NSCLC who have received prior treatment,” said Dr. Max Saráchaga.
“At Amgen, our mission is to serve patients and we continue to strive to develop not only innovative and biocomparable cancer medicines, but also supportive therapies to treat conditions related to or derived from the treatment of this disease, which can help improve the quality of life and survival of patients” concluded Dr. Max Saráchaga, medical director of Amgen Mexico.
