Holguín Extends Use of HeberFERON for Skin Cancer
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For six years, Holguín has used HeberFERON for the treatment of skin cancer (of the basal cell carcinoma type) and has already extended this product to the entire province, an expert said.
In an exclusive interview with the Cuban News Agency, Dr. Katerine Batista Ochoa, specialist of First Degree in Dermatology and Coordinator of the Extension Program of the use of HeberFERON in this eastern territory, said that there are already 30 health areas in the 14 municipalities where the medicine is used, including the three provincial hospitals.
She added that 10 health areas of the municipality of Holguín have available this medication, which was applied to 224 patients in 2018 and prevented 87 amputations, 38 percent of them were prevented by deforming surgeries.
Dr. Batista Ochoa, specialist of the Pedro Díaz Coello university polyclinic, in the city of Holguín, insisted on the need for the prevention of skin cancer, which in recent years has increased rapidly, mainly in Latin American and Caribbean countries.
Cuba, a tropical country, is not exempt from this reality and this oncological disease is among the main causes of morbidity, she said.
She warned that the basal cell tumors of the skin do not metastasize but can cause deforming lesions and cited the prolonged exposure to the sun and genetic factors among the main factors that cause the disease.
These have greater incidence in white people, with clear eyes that exceed the 60 years of age and in men.
As part of the health promotion actions, Holguín created a group with patients, relatives, specialists, residents and promoters of the product, developed by the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), which has contributed to achieving very favorable results, she added.
Pioneer in the clinical trials with the HeberFeron, the Holguín province also has the Mi Ciudad Verde project, dedicated mainly to prevention, said Dr. Katerine Batista Ochoa, who warned about the need for protection from ultraviolet rays from an early age and explained that for every tree that falls, three should be planted.
The specialist presented the results of this product in the National Workshop of Residents of the National Program of the Use of HeberFERON, organized by the CIGB and held in Holguín with the participation of more than a hundred representatives of the country, including residents and specialists in Dermatology, Oncology, Maxillofacial and Aesthetic Surgery, health institutions and drug coordinators in Cuba.
