Hematologic cancer in farmers of Norte de Santander, Colombia: a descriptive study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63434/30286999.34Keywords:
farmers, neoplasms, myelodysplastic syndromes, leukaemia, occupational medicineAbstract
The cancer is the second cause of death worldwide and a highly prevalent disease in Colombia. In this context, farm work is related to hematologic neoplasms for exposure to chemicals such as pesticides and other occupational hazards.
Objective: describe the types of hematologic neoplasms in patients working as farmers in Norte de Santander, Colombia.
Methods: A retrospective descriptive study was carried out with the clinical data of 34 farmer patients who attended a health institution in Cúcuta.
Results: The diseases diagnosed in farmers were myelodysplastic syndrome (79,41 %), chronic myeloid leukaemia (14,71 %) and acute myeloid leukemia (5,88 %). There was no predominance between men and women (17 patients of each gender, equivalent to 50% in each case), and the average age of diagnosis was 70 years (24-84 years). The farmers’ workplace was mainly Cúcuta and Los Patios municipalities (44 %), and the majority had died at the time of the study.
Conclusions: Myelodysplastic syndrome is the most essential hematologic neoplasm in the farmers of Norte de Santander, which corresponds to an atypical presentation of occupational cancer in agricultural workers.
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