Colombia

Cancer overview in Colombia

In Colombia, approximately more than 113,000 people develop a type of cancer each year, 61,000 women and 52,000 men, while nearly 55,000 deaths are confirmed year by year. The country has an incidence rate of 182 cases per 100,000 inhabitants for all types of cancer, that’s why it can be considered among the countries with medium-high cancer incidence, according to estimates made by the International Agency for Research Cancer (IARC), based on data available worldwide for 2020.

The types of cancer with higher prevalence are breast and prostate cancer. The first one, with more than 15,000, and the second with 14,460 cases per year, represent respectively 13.7% and 12.8% of all malignant tumors. Those two types of cancer have the highest incidence in women and men, correspondingly 25,7% and 27,4%. Regarding the number of deaths in Colombia, the data shows that nearly 54,000 people die each year due to cancer. The main types of cancer with the highest mortality in the country are stomach (+6,400), lung (+6,000), colorectum (+5,000), breast (+4000), and prostate (+3,800) cancer. Also, there has been notable progress in the early diagnosis of cases, going from 75% of patients confirmed in less than 125 days in 2015 to less than 70 days in 2018.

Ten-Year Cancer Plan:

 The Ten-Year Plan for Cancer Control is a public policy of high relevance for patients and all the stakeholders in the health system it’s based on the care and prevention of this disease. In the Ten-Year Cancer Plan, both sectors public and private, seek to position cancer as a public health problem on the agenda, as well as mobilize State action, intersectoral action, corporate social responsibility, and individual co-responsibility for the control of this disease in Colombia.

The current Plan, 2012-2020, sought to reduce modifiable risk factors and preventable deaths from cancer, by strengthening and improving both early detection and quality of care. This policy will have to be renewed, after the Ministry of Health issues the Resolution that establishes the conditions for updating the Ten-Year Plan for Cancer Control.

Ten-Year Cancer Plan is the perfect opportunity for All.Can Colombia’s allies to contribute to the cancer public policy discussion of the next ten years. All.Can Colombia Coalition faces an important job due to the great challenges for the 2022-2031 plan. Some of the challenges are the delay in timely diagnosis, and the search for alternatives for the detection and care of patients in health emergencies such as the pandemic that we have experienced in the last year.

Taking into account that the Ministry of Health is close to issuing a Resolution to establish the conditions that must be met in the process of updating the Plan, All.Can has a sufficient margin of time to participate in the discussion.

Health System Reform – Draft Law:

 Currently, in the Colombian Congress, the discussion of a Health System Reform Project is pending. The Draft Law seeks to consolidate a Health System understood as the articulated and harmonious set of principles and norms, public policies, institutions, competencies and procedures, powers, obligations, rights and duties, mechanisms and sources of financing, controls, information, and evaluation. To achieve its objective, the Draft Law proposes a health system where the Territorial Approach, Family Medicine, Unification of Regimes, Self-care Approach, and Transformation of EPS are transversal axes. All.Can Colombia could contribute from its shore to enrich the discussion on cancer care and prevention in the country, based on the ongoing reform.

References

1. Estimated number of new cases Colombia Available here: https://gco.iarc.fr/today/online-analysis-pie?v=2020&mode=cancer&mode_population=continents&population=900&populations=170&key=total&sex=0&cancer=39&type=0&statistic=5&prevalence=0&population_group=0&ages_group%5B%5D=0&ages_group%5B%5D=17&nb_items=7&group_cancer=1&include_nmsc=1&include_nmsc_other=1&half_pie=0&donut=0#collapse-group-0-1
2. Ten-Year Cancer Plan Available here: https://www.minsalud.gov.co/sites/rid/Lists/BibliotecaDigital/RIDE/IA/INCA/plan-nacional-control-cancer-2012-2020.pdf
3. Cancer overview in Colombia Available here: https://www.minsalud.gov.co/Paginas/deteccion-temprana-retos-del-cancer-en-Colombia.aspx