Cancer in Women
By Josefina Vidal

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Quite aside from the cancers that develop in feminine organs, such as the ovaries, the cervix and particularly breast cancer, women lead the charts as victims of other types of cancer, such as colorectal cancer, which are much more aggressive and more difficult to detect.

The general perception that colorectal cancer develops exclusively in men is wrong. Colorectal cancer is the third cause of mortality in women who die from cancer. The American Cancer Society (ACS) predicts that 57,300 women and 50,000 men will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2002.

As with most types of cancer, early detection and diagnosis are critical. That being so, why is it that women are ready to submit to breast examinations every year, but will not undergo a colon checkup? Doctors argue that shame prevents women from being examined and that shame may cost them their lives.

‘Thanks to pap smear testing, cervical cancer, the cancer that used to cause more victims, has gone down to eighth place’

Access to organs is another factor that counts in early detection. A breast lump can easily be found to the touch, but anomalies in the colon or lungs are more difficult to detect. In the case of colorectal cancer, a yearly examination is recommended for people over 50 years old.

Dr. Illiana Casas, of the Gynecological Oncology department of Sinai Cedars Hospital in Los Angeles, says that “Thanks to pap smear testing, cervical cancer, the cancer that used to cause more victims, has gone down to eighth place. The effectiveness of early detection is evidenced in breast cancer, where mortality has been reduced 20 percent, thanks to mammograms,” states Casas. Intensive campaigns and the activism of recent decades have proved effective. “Much progress has been made in this field. We now know that instead of radical mastectomy, it is better to go for a more localized surgery followed by radiation. Another great advance is the use of Tamoxifen as a preventive medication,” explains the oncologist, “since it has been found that it reduces the possibility of developing cancer to 50 percent and it is estimated that the percentage will improve further with the use of another similar drug, Raloxifen.”

In the case of lung cancer, even though men are most affected, it also occurs in an alarming number of women. The ACS predicts that 79,200 women and 90,200 men will be diagnosed with lung cancer this year.

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