• Residents of rural areas had lower mortality from pancreatic, lung, breast, prostate, kidney and bladder cancer.

San José, August 2024. A recent study in Costa Rica revealed important findings on the behavior of cancer mortality, according to the areas of residence and the wealth levels of the country’s districts.

Research conducted between 2010 and 2018 by the Costa Rican Agency for Biomedical Research (ACIB-FUNIN), the University of Costa Rica, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, and the National Cancer Institute of the United States found that mortality from most types of cancer in our country is lower in rural areas compared to urban areas.

Specifically, residents of rural areas had lower mortality from pancreatic, lung, breast, prostate, kidney and bladder cancer. However, stomach cancer was found to be the most common cancer in these areas.

According to experts, the fact that rural areas have lower mortality from most types of cancer may be due to more traditional and healthy lifestyles, in terms of diet, alcohol and tobacco consumption.

In urban areas, on the other hand, lifestyles vary, as the consumption of tobacco, alcohol and unhealthy foods is more common. This tendency has been supported by various studies carried out in our country by various organizations, which have shown, for example, a significant increase in childhood obesity, mainly in urban areas.

This study showed that cancers related to tobacco, such as pancreatic, lung, kidney and bladder cancer, are less frequent in residents of rural areas, compared to residents of urban areas.

“This is consistent with the distribution of tobacco consumption in Costa Rica, since it is known that it is lower in rural areas. In addition, it is known that alcohol consumption in the country is also associated with a high socioeconomic position, which is more frequent in urban areas,” explains Dr. Cristina Barboza, a researcher at the University of Costa Rica.

On the other hand, the study also analyzed the behavior of cancer in districts with higher and lower incomes, and determined that cervical cancer is more common in areas with lower economic levels. Meanwhile, colorectal cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma and leukemia are more frequent in districts with higher purchasing power than in districts with lower purchasing power.

For Dr. Rolando Herrero, scientific director of ACIB-FUNIN and researcher in this study, “it is urgent that the country strengthens its cancer prevention programs and efforts, paying special attention to risk populations. We know that many types of cancer are related to lifestyle, so it is necessary to do special work in urban areas. But, in the case of rural areas, there are types of cancer that are more related to socioeconomic factors, where there are fewer possibilities of using early detection services, so it is essential to improve access to these programs, in all segments of society.”

According to the researchers, the findings of this study provide valuable information for making of decision and the implementation of additional measures to those already established in the country.

In addition, they highlight the importance of regulating economic activities that expose workers to carcinogens (such as sun exposure), as well as implementing other strategies established in the Latin American Code Against Cancer.