Medical Xpress: Will Mexico's Aging Population See Cancer Care as a Priority? Medical Xpress
go to original May 12, 2015

Harvard University Helps Power Seguro Popular Health Care Initiative in Mexico (Harvard University)

Mexico is undergoing a transformation: ranked as the second largest economy in Latin America, it's an increasingly dynamic middle-income country - and its population is ageing rapidly. How will this relate to the burden of cancer?

Mexico is an interesting case study for the relationship between population ageing and cancer burden, according to new research published in ecancermedicalscience.

Researchers led by Dr Ajay Aggarwal of the Institute of Cancer Policy, Kings College London, UK, examined population data, cancer databases, and the research output of Mexican institutions to produce predictions and recommendations.

They expect that the cancer burden will fall most heavily on a rapidly expanding - but often overlooked - population: the elderly.

The number of new cancer cases in Mexico is expected to increase by nearly 75% by 2030, with the majority occurring in elderly patients.

"Elderly populations, particularly women and those living in rural areas, face significant barriers to accessing high quality cancer care in Mexico," writes Dr Aggarwal.

Read the rest at Medical Xpress

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