PORTLAND, Ore. – Estudios recientes encontraron un aumento de las tasas de cáncer colorrectal en las generaciones de menos de 50 años. En Oregon la gente puede usar un proceso mejorado de detección que puede ser tomado en casa y enviado por correo. Comenta la doctora Tanya Kapka, directora médica de CareOregon.

Estudios recientes han detectado que la prevalencia de cáncer colorrectal está aumentando entre los "millennials" y la "Generación X". La detección puede ser una herramienta altamente efectiva para combatir el padecimiento. Durante marzo, Mes de la Conciencia del Cáncer Colorrectal, los profesionales de la medicina están informando cómo identificar y prevenir esta enfermedad tan altamente peligrosa. La colonoscopía constituye la herramienta de detección más efectiva y en Oregon existe también un examen, conocido como la prueba "FIT", que la gente puede usar en casa para la exploración del cáncer y luego enviarlo por correo. La doctora Tanya Kapka dice que nunca se insistirá demasiado en la importancia de examinarse.

"Sabemos que si hacemos el examen de cáncer colorrectal podemos incidir en los resultados. Es decir que los pacientes pueden detectarlo antes y tener más posibilidades de supervivencia, o incluso detectarlo antes de que se convierta en cáncer, como los pólipos precancerosos."

En los Estados Unidos, el cáncer colorrectal es la segunda causa de muertes vinculadas al cáncer en hombres, y la tercera en mujeres. Kapka dice que CareOregon trabaja en el estado en asociación con Organizaciones Coordinadas de Atención ("Coordinated Care Organizations") para surtir de pruebas de detección FIT a sus miembros. Agrega que durante el primer año en que repartieron las pruebas FIT, la detección de este cáncer aumentó casi un diez por ciento.

Kapka destaca que a pesar de los hallazgos recientes, la tasa de cáncer colorrectal ha bajado y más del 90 por ciento de los casos de cáncer colorrectal se presentan en gente de 50 años y más. Dice que los síntomas de cáncer en la gente joven incluyen sangrado rectal, nuevos dolores abdominales y cambios inexplicables del intestino. Debido al elevado riesgo para la gente de 50 años y más, Kapka dice que deben usar la prueba FIT cada año y además hacerse las colonoscopías normales.

"La razon por la que la colonoscopia es util es que no solo puede encontrar polipos pre-cancerosos y otras lesiones, sino que al mismo tiempo puede removerlos, y esos representarian canceres que estamos previniendo desde anos antes."

Kapka menciona que los africo-americanos tienen mayor riesgo de cáncer colorrectal y muchas sociedades médicas han sugerido que inicien los exámenes a una edad más temprana que el resto de la población. Agrega que el examen de cáncer colorrectal es uno de los 17 indicadores para mejorar los resultados de la salud de los pacientes.

Estudios recientes encontraron que la prevalencia de cancer colorrectal esta aumentando en los milenials y en la Generacion X. El examen de deteccion de cancer puede ser una herramienta altamente efectiva contra la enfermedad; un reporte de Eric Tegethoff (TEG-it-off).




get more stories like this via email

People who are part of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, known as DACA, will be dropped from their CoveredCA health plans at the end of August.

The move comes after the Trump administration changed a Biden-era definition of "lawfully present" to revoke health care eligibility for thousands of immigrants.

Christine Smith, policy and legislative advocate for the nonprofit Health Access California, said people only have a few weeks to get medical appointments in before their coverage ends.

"If you're enrolled in Covered California and you're a DACA recipient, the Trump administration just ended your coverage," Smith emphasized. "People should use as much of your health care as you can before the August 31st deadline."

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services defended the move, saying it will save taxpayers money. CoveredCA estimated the change affects about 2,400 DACA recipients in the state who make too much to qualify for Medi-Cal and have jobs not providing health insurance. They can still buy private insurance but it is much more expensive. People who prepaid for their coverage can seek a refund.

Smith predicted it will be a blow not just to those who lose coverage but to the state's health care system as a whole.

"The lines in the ERs are going to be longer because people are not going to be able to get affordable preventive care," Smith projected. "They're just going to get sicker and then end up in the ERs. People will overall incur more medical debt. Hospitals will have more uncompensated care."

The change is nationwide. As of mid-July, about 538,000 people in the DACA program across the U.S. are ineligible to enroll in any state-based insurance marketplace and are unable to access premium subsidies or cost-sharing assistance.

Artificial intelligence is appearing more prominently in many aspects of life and research suggests older populations are curious, yet remain wary of using the technology in their everyday lives.

According to Stats Indiana, there are more than 1.5 million Hoosiers aged 65 and older, or 18% of the state's population. Experts said it is likely the demographic will use AI in some form in the next few years, either by choice or necessity.

Dr. Shaun Grannis, vice president of data and analytics for the Regenstrief Institute on Aging, said AI offers real benefits.

"It can reduce loneliness through conversation, provide reminders for medications and appointments," Grannis outlined. "It can support cognitive stimulation via games, storytelling, news updates."

The technology can also offer a low-pressure way to access information on public services, he added, which is valuable for those with mobility issues or those who feel intimidated by technology.

Grannis cautioned any tool which can be used for good can also lead to problems. He noted AI can create a false sense of companionship and mask social isolation. Overdependence is a legitimate concern, he argued, if the technology becomes a "crutch" for all forms of interaction.

"All cognitive activities or decision-making, it can actually lead to and create a negative feedback loop, lead to a decline in engagement and even basic self-management skills," Grannis explained. "This is risky."

Grannis believes one solution is designing AI systems to complement, not replace, human interaction. He stressed it can be done though building broader support ecosystems including family, friends, caregivers and community services. Grannis emphasized it would encourage real-world activity, prompting the user to go for a walk, call a grandchild or attend a local senior event.

If you have an extra five minutes, you can save a life because you can learn cardiopulmonary resuscitation at no cost from a new mobile, hands-only CPR kiosk.

The new kiosk is in the lobby of Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica. The machine's touch screen gives a brief overview of hands-only CPR and you can practice right there, on a mannequin.

Dr. Rigved Tadwalkar, cardiologist at St. John's, said it is an easy way for people to get more comfortable giving chest compressions in an emergency.

"It's a lot like a video game but of course, a lot more important than a video game," Tadwalkar pointed out. "It gives real-time feedback about the depth and rate of compressions, proper hand placement, which are all factors that influence the effectiveness of CPR."

The American Heart Association operates the St. John's mobile kiosk and a stationary model at L-A-X with support from the hospital. Santiago Canyon College in Orange County also has a mobile hands-only C-P-R kiosk now through September, sponsored by Edwards Lifesciences.

Steven Munatones, an Orange County business owner, said he survived what's known as a "widowmaker" heart attack which led to cardiac arrest nine years ago, thanks to his 17-year-old son, who gave him immediate CPR with instructions from a 911 operator.

"You don't have to put your mouth to anybody's mouth," Munatones explained. "You just put your hand on their chest and pump. He saved me, and others can do the same, anywhere. So, it's absolutely a lifesaving, heroic act that anybody can do."

Statistics show 350,000 Americans suffer from cardiac arrest outside a hospital each year and about 90% die, in part because they do not receive CPR. About 70% of those cardiac arrests happen at home, so people often depend on family or friends to give CPR before an ambulance arrives.