Latin America: deaths from colorectal cancer grow by 20.5% in 30 years

Published in the scientific journal Plos Onea study carried out by researchers from the National School of Public Health (Ensp/Fiocruz), the National Cancer Institute (Inca) and the University of California at San Diego showed that, between 1990 and 2019, mortality from colon cancer -rect in Latin America increased 20.5%.

In most countries in the region, including Brazil, the trend is increasing. According to Fiocruz, the growth in colorectal cancer mortality in Latin America is in the opposite direction to the global trend, which has been that of a declining rate, an outcome influenced by high-income countries.

In addition to describing trends in mortality due to the disease in Latin America, the research linked the data to the countries’ Human Development Index (HDI). The increase in mortality in the region, the most unequal on the planet, has been observed in heterogeneous ways. Research has confirmed that there is a link between the trend in mortality from colorectal cancer and the socioeconomic development of Latin American countries. However, this relationship is not linear.

Countries with a low HDI have lower mortality from colorectal cancer. The factors influencing this relationship are mainly underdiagnosis and less access to known risk factors, such as the consumption of ultra-processed foods and red meat.

Middle-developed countries, on the one hand, have late access to diagnosis and difficulties with timely treatment, which reduces patient survival. Furthermore, these countries have greater exposure to risk factors, as is the case in Brazil. In contrast, highly developed countries diagnose the disease early and the population tends to have healthier eating patterns, Fiocruz says.

“Interestingly, the inequality between countries is so strong that there are some, such as Uruguay and Argentina, which are on track to decrease colorectal cancer mortality. Despite the high consumption of red meat , they manage to diagnose and cure it in “Once upon a time, avoiding deaths. In Central American countries the scenario is different: food has fewer risks, but there is underdiagnosis and little access to treatment”, states, in a note, one of the authors of the study, Raphael Guimarãesof the Department of Social Sciences of Ensp/Fiocruz.