Africa records 700,000 cancer deaths, 1.1m cases yearly – WHO

THE World Health Organisation (WHO) has revealed that 700,000 persons die out of the 1.1 million new cancer cases recorded in Africa each year

WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, made the revelation in a statement marking this year’s World Cancer Day themed: Close the Care Gap Uniting Our Voices and Taking Action.

Explaining that Africa accounts for nearly 50 per cent of the global childhood cancer burden by 2050 with the current projections , Moeti maintained that data estimates show a considerable increase in cancer mortality to nearly one million deaths per year by 2030, without urgent and bold interventions.

“We should recall that the most common cancers in adults include breast (16.5%), cervical (13.1 per cent), prostate (9.4 per cent), Colorectal (6 per cent), and liver (4.6 per cent) cancers, contributing to nearly half of the new cancer cases while 12 countries in Africa had valid National Cancer Control Plans but that 11 additional countries were being supported by WHO in developing or updating their National Cancer Control Plans. The support is aimed at aligning the plans to the global cancer initiatives coupled with the presence of governance structures at the government level to implement cancer plans. We’re delighted that 51 per cent of countries in Africa have steadily increased Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccination national introduction,” Moeti said.

It will be recalled that WHO Regional Director for Africa recently noted that stumbling blocks remained the continent’s low availability of population-based cancer registries, limited health promotion, and inadequate access to primary prevention and early detection services.