Sociedad de Lucha Contra el Cancer

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A child being treated in a SOLCA facility Nino solca.jpg
A child being treated in a SOLCA facility

Sociedad de Lucha Contra el Cancer (Society to Fight Cancer), a.k.a. SOLCA, is an Ecuadoran committee which disseminates techniques for fighting cancer. It was formed on December 7, 1951.

Ecuador Republic in South America

Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. Ecuador also includes the Galápagos Islands in the Pacific, about 1,000 kilometers (620 mi) west of the mainland. The capital city is Quito, which is also the largest city.

Cancer disease of uncontrolled, unregulated and abnormal cell growth

Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal bleeding, prolonged cough, unexplained weight loss and a change in bowel movements. While these symptoms may indicate cancer, they can also have other causes. Over 100 types of cancers affect humans.

Contents

History

During the 40s, Dr. Juan Tanca Marengo, a distinguished Ecuadorian doctor and humanist, worried about public health and all the different types of cancer, considered that it was necessary for him to share his oncologic knowledge with the medicine students and with doctors in general. His purpose was to establish prevention and healing campaigns, through the creation of an institute dedicated to the fight against cancer. December 7 of 1951, he calls a group of his closest doctor friends to found one of the public works with the most transcendence in Ecuador: the Sociedad de Lucha contra el cancer, or SOLCA.

In 1953, the government started to organize the creation of the building SOLCA, which was declared Society "fight with the cancer" in Ecuador. In 1957 the radiotheraphy and surgery department were built. With the pass of the years SOLCA have grown been one of the most important hospitals in Ecuador.

Institute activities

Structure

Capacity of people: 155 beds
Average lodge: 5.5 days
Occupation average: 62.2%

Prevention

Not only it's important the fight against cancer, but it also is the prevention of it. Hence, the operation of this activity has been giving through interactive lectures, conferences, graphics and demonstrations among people.

Academic conference conference for researchers to present and discuss their work

An academic conference or scientific conference is a event for researchers to present and discuss their work. Together with academic or scientific journals, conferences provide an important channel for exchange of information between researchers.

a.- Professional Technicians from SOLCA.
b.- Professional Technicians from other institutions.
c.- Population in general.

Diseases treated

Lung essential respiration organ in many air-breathing animals

The lungs are the primary organs of the respiratory system in humans and many other animals including a few fish and some snails. In mammals and most other vertebrates, two lungs are located near the backbone on either side of the heart. Their function in the respiratory system is to extract oxygen from the atmosphere and transfer it into the bloodstream, and to release carbon dioxide from the bloodstream into the atmosphere, in a process of gas exchange. Respiration is driven by different muscular systems in different species. Mammals, reptiles and birds use their different muscles to support and foster breathing. In early tetrapods, air was driven into the lungs by the pharyngeal muscles via buccal pumping, a mechanism still seen in amphibians. In humans, the main muscle of respiration that drives breathing is the diaphragm. The lungs also provide airflow that makes vocal sounds including human speech possible.

Thyroid endocrine gland in the neck; secretes hormones that influence metabolism

The thyroid gland, or simply the thyroid, is an endocrine gland in the neck, consisting of two lobes connected by an isthmus. It is found at the front of the neck, below the Adam's apple. The thyroid gland secretes three hormones, namely the two thyroid hormones (thyroxine/T4 and triiodothyronine/T3), and calcitonin. The thyroid hormones primarily influence the metabolic rate and protein synthesis, but they also have many other effects, including effects on development. Calcitonin plays a role in calcium homeostasis.

Leukemia group of cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow

Leukemia, also spelled leukaemia, is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called blasts or leukemia cells. Symptoms may include bleeding and bruising, feeling tired, fever, and an increased risk of infections. These symptoms occur due to a lack of normal blood cells. Diagnosis is typically made by blood tests or bone marrow biopsy.

Collaborators

Nowadays SOLCA is one of the most important hospitals in America. A lot of people, companies and industries collaborate daily with this institution. One of the most important and loyal one is the ladies' committee, which is a group of ladies from every social status that offers their services without any kind of reward.

Americas Landmass comprising North America, Central America and South America

The Americas comprise the totality of the continents of North and South America. Together, they make up most of the land in Earth's western hemisphere and comprise the New World.

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Colorectal cancer cancer of the colon or rectum

Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer and colon cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum. A cancer is the abnormal growth of cells that have the ability to invade or spread to other parts of the body. Signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, a change in bowel movements, weight loss, and feeling tired all the time.

Sarcoma cell type cancer that has material basis in abnormally proliferating cells derived from embryonic mesoderm

A sarcoma is a cancer that arises from transformed cells of mesenchymal origin. Connective tissue is a broad term that includes bone, cartilage, fat, muscle, vascular, or hematopoietic tissues, and sarcomas can arise in any of these types of tissues. As a result, there are many subtypes of sarcoma, which are classified based on the specific tissue and type of cell from which the tumor originates. It is important to note that sarcomas are primary connective tissue tumors, meaning that they arise in connective tissues. This is in contrast to secondary connective tissue tumors, which occur when a cancer from elsewhere in the body spreads to the connective tissue. The word sarcoma is derived from the Greek σάρξ sarx meaning "flesh".

El Santo Mexican professional wrestler

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Eugenio Espejo writer, lawyer, physician

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David Alvra Wood, MD., was a medical doctor noted for his advanced research in cancer research and pathology.

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