Havana, June 28 (RHC) – Cancer is considered the main obstacle for Cubans in reaching 80 years of age, said the director of the Havana-based Molecular Immunology Center Doctor, Agustin Lage.

In statements to the Cuban News Agency, Doctor Lage said that a long life expectancy is a positive element, but the older the age, the most frequent the presence of non-transmissible chronic diseases, such as Diabetes, cardio-vascular and cerebro-vascular conditions.

The expert warned that cancer has reached the first level in all diseases and in order to reach and surpass 80 years of age it is crucial to reduce cancer mortality, which has been the main cause of death in Cuba since 2012.

Malignant tumors in old age have become a chronic disease thanks to the treatments offered by Cuban biotechnology along with conventional therapy, which permit the extension of patients’ quality and expectancy of life.

Some 30,000 cancer cases appear every year on the island, while 33 percent of them can be avoided with a change in life styles and eliminating the smoking habit, alcoholism and adopting an appropriate diet.

Sixty percent of all cancer patients are 60 years of age or older, something that has raised concerns in the Cuban scientific community, given the rapid aging process of the population, with 18.3 percent being senior citizens.

Doctor Lage spoke to participants at the Seventh Provincial Forum on Oncology on the impact by biotechnology on the National Program for Cancer Control.