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Tag: cancer

  • CANCER in Nigeria: A pathologist’s view

    The burden of cancer is rapidly increasing and it is likely to continue as more people live longer. Cancer cases tend to be higher amongst the older age group. World Health Organisation reports show that there are presently more deaths from cancer than from AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria combined. HIV itself is an additional cause of the increased incidence of cancer. It is time to do more than lament or pay lip service to the burden of cancer.

    Diagnosis of cancer is facilitated by the work of pathologists. The human body is made up of cells, and it is also regulated by cells. Because of their close study of cells, pathologists are able to recognise dysfunctions or abnormalities that manifest as disease or that which has the capacity to snuff out life.

    Cancer refers to a condition in which cells of any part of the body grow in an uncoordinated manner without regard to surrounding tissue. It manifests as a mass and has the uncanny propensity to spread to surrounding or distant sites. Growths could be benign but a cancer occurs when growths are malignant. Cancer causes death in many instances, if not detected and treated early.

    There are different types of cancer and they feature in different ways in different places. I will briefly refer to three or four cancer types for the purpose of this discussion.

    Liver cancer, in the first instance, generally tends to be seen more in men than in women. Its incidence increases with age, reaching a peak among the 50 and 60 year olds. There is, however, a marked shift towards the younger age groups (among people over 30 up to 50 year old) in high incidence areas like Africa and South East Asia. The early onset of the disease is attributed to exposure to environmental carcinogens especially Hepatitis B Virus (HBV), a toxin produced by some moulds in crops (aflatoxin) and Hepatitis C virus (HCV) at birth or soon afterwards.

    The male bias of liver cancer is explained in some cases by the presence of male hormone receptors within cancerous cells. Liver cancer has also been found to result from complications of other ailments. In all, it has been found that the major known causes of liver cancer are preventable. Yet, it is the cancer most commonly known to kill men in this environment.

    Lung cancer is better known to the public and it is usually associated with cigarette smoking. But the development of lung cancer is also associated with some environmental pollutants including those related to occupational exposure such as tin mining, building and even some otherwise innocuous cottage industries which rely on the use of firewood.

    High incidence of lung cancer among women, had called attention to the culpability of chemical pollutants derived from wood-burning and the use of charcoal for cooking. These environmental risks are also considered important in cases of lung cancer among young people regardless of their gender.

    Although rare, testicular cancer occurs within our population, and has been seen in a 19- year -old. The risk of occurrence is significantly higher when the testes do not descend into the scrotal sac at the right time. This is easily detected if parents check at birth or soon thereafter.

    In many cancer treatment centres in Nigeria, about one out of ten cases seen will be prostate cancer (6 12 per cent). The average age when this cancer is seen is between the 65th and round about the 70th birthday. But it could occur any time, from age 40 up till the 90th birthday. It is the sixth most common cause of cancer death in men all over the world.

    Prostate cancer is more likely to affect Black men, and there is evidence to suggest that among African – Americans and Caribbean men, those whose ancestry can be traced to West Africa, the Nigerian area in particular, are more prone to the disease. In any case, evidence suggests that the disease progresses more rapidly in our environment.

    Genetic factors can account for the incidence of certain cancers. Sometimes people inherit genes that make their cells prone to being defective. Environmental factors also play a part in the incidence of the disease. But individual choices, for example those that influence dietary and lifestyle patterns may reduce or intensify risk. Whereas in our society, being sedentary and overweight was once seen as evidence of good living, reducing the body mass, healthy eating and regular exercise limit the chances of disease.

    Sometimes, people cannot avoid environmental risks, such as regular exposure to smoke from cooking with firewood at home, for commerce or within many ‘unseen’ cottage industries, due to the limited resources in the family or community and poor national infrastructure.

    Cancer treatment is expensive regardless of what regime of treatment is adopted; the use of drugs (chemotherapy), and the application of radiation (radiotherapy) or surgical intervention. The most recent development called immunotherapy (requiring manipulation of the immune system), is even more expensive than the earlier three. Since treatment is expensive, investment in cancer prevention and early detection is money well spent.

    Guidelines for reporting biopsies of the gastrointestinal tract and the liver, for use in Nigeria, have been produced. This will provide a basis for comparing status and outcome of patients with diseases, especially cancer, affecting these organs. With guidelines for other cancers developed, trends in the occurrence of other forms of the malignant disease can also be tracked.

    Based on records from the Cancer Registry in Ibadan, the occurrence of cancers can be ranked as presented below:

    •When considering men and women of all ages, breast cancer is the most common, followed by cancer of the cervix, prostate, colon (large intestine) and rectum, lymph nodes (Lymphoma), skin, and liver, in that order.

    • Amongst men only, prostate cancer topped the chart, followed by colorectal (colon and rectum) cancer, Lymphoma, Liver cancer and Skin cancer in that order. Cancer of soft tissue, brain, nasopharynx (nose), larynx (voice box – throat) and leukaemias (blood) also ranked amongst the top ten cancers in the population around Ibadan

    • Amongst women only, cancers of the breast and cervix, followed by colon and rectum, lymphomas, ovaries, skin and uterus are widespread.

    • The large bowel is a frequent site of cancer that is common to all persons. It is the second most frequent site for cancer to occur in men, and the third most frequent site for cancer in women. Other sites ahead of it on the chart are those associated with sexual reproduction.

    Pathology plays a significant role in identifying this and other systemic disorders. More than 70 per cent of all decisions about diagnosis and treatment, hospital admission, and discharge rest on such medical test results. Since diagnosis is the foundation of all patient care, Pathology is a unique medical specialty.

    From their vantage position, pathologists are able to assess the incidence and patterns of diseases. Their observations should therefore be considered in developing a health policy and development of public infrastructure. For instance, the health benefits in domestic consumption of Liquefied Petroleum Gas, LPG support a shift from use of firewood to widespread adoption of cooking gas. This move saves the forest and peoples’ lives.

    The emphasis in health policy should be on prevention and early detection of the disease and the time to act is now. From all indications, the burden of cancer can be expected to rise, but with early detection, cancer cases need not claim so many lives. As the environment changes, one should expect a change in the trend of cancers. So much work needs be done by all and sundry- individuals, groups, corporate bodies and governments. Everyone must take responsibility but this must be premised on clear and dependable information.

    Cancer awareness programmes are required to educate people on the risk factors in the environment, and desirable changes in established patterns of behaviour. Socially responsible corporate entities, the dynamic civil society with the range of bodies and non-governmental organisations – working with health experts and the media are well placed to assist here.

    On its part, federal government needs to review its commitment to healthcare. At present, public expenditure on health is less than a quarter of that recommended internationally; $8 per capita, compared to the recommended $34. This is too meagre and can make no significant impact. Investment in health must be improved.

    Endemic poverty in the nation means few people can afford private medical care. The situation where patients bear 70 per cent of treatment cost must be reversed or significantly improved upon promptly.

    The long term goal of the Revised National Health Policy from September 2004 that speaks of ‘the need to provide the entire population with adequate access not only to primary health care but also to secondary and tertiary services through a well-functioning referral system’ is laudable. However, it is inadequate unless there is a well-financed treatment system.

    Governments at all levels need to take an active interest in issues concerning Cancer Registration. Without robust documentation there can be no proper planning for sufferers of the disease whose numbers are projected to increase in the days ahead. Yet, it is only the government that can make the registration of cancer cases compulsory. This should be done.

    Cancer is no respecter of persons. There is still so much to be learnt about the disease. Cancer research must therefore continue; funding for this must necessarily improve. This will require contributions from governments, corporate organisations and individuals of worth. Our interest in cancer and the action we take may well save our lives and the lives of those we love.

    •Professor Ogunbiyi wrote from Lagos.

  • Breast cancer survivors may be more likely to develop diabetes

    Breast cancer survivors may be more likely to develop diabetes

    New research from Women’s College Research Institute and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences indicates that post-menopausal breast cancer survivors have an increased risk of developing diabetes compared to women who haven’t had breast cancer.

    These research findings build on what is already known about a relationship between breast cancer and diabetes.

    “There’s increasing evidence showing that patients with diabetes have a higher risk of several types of cancer, and worse prognoses when they get it compared to those without diabetes,” says Dr. Lorraine Lipscombe, a scientist at Women’s College Research Institute and lead author of the study. “This study was to see whether the reverse was true: whether cancer patients might have a higher risk of future diabetes once they survive their cancer.”

    The results showed a small but significant increase in diabetes risk among post-menopausal breast cancer survivors.

    Dr. Lipscombe and her colleagues used health databases from Ontario to identify 24,976 post-menopausal survivors of early stage breast cancer diagnosed between 1996 and 2006, and a comparison group of 124,880 women the same age who did not have breast cancer. None of the women had diabetes at the start of the study.

    During 12 years of followup, 14,576 women were diagnosed with diabetes: 2,440 cases in breast cancer survivors and 12,136 in the comparison group. The researchers found that the breast cancer survivors were more likely to develop diabetes than the comparison group. The risk was 7 per cent higher in breast cancer survivors two years after diagnosis, but increased over time to 21 per cent higher 10 years after diagnosis.

    “Among postmenopausal breast cancer survivors we found that compared to age-matched women who didn’t have breast cancer, they had a small but significant increase in developing diabetes over time, and the risks started to go up in the majority of women after two years from their cancer diagnosis,” Dr. Lipscombe says. “But we also found that among the women who got chemotherapy the risk actually increased early on after their diagnosis.”

    There was a different pattern among breast cancer survivors who underwent chemotherapy. In this group, the diabetes risk was concentrated in the first two years after diagnosis, with a 24 per cent higher risk of diabetes among breast cancer chemotherapy patients compared to the comparison group. There was no increased risk after that two-year period in women who had chemotherapy.

    “We don’t know why that is but we wonder if something about the chemotherapy might have unmasked or brought out diabetes in women who were vulnerable to getting it, and brought it out at that stage instead of later,” Dr. Lipscombe says. “One possibility is, we know that in most cases when a patient gets chemotherapy they get medications called glucocorticoids, or steroids, which we know increase propensity for diabetes.”

    Dr. Lipscombe notes that the study cannot determine the reasons for the relationship between breast cancer and diabetes, but says one possibility is that there are shared risk factors between the two conditions, such as obesity and insulin resistance, and this may lead to a common risk for both breast cancer and diabetes.

    “This study raises awareness of an association between cancer and diabetes that warrants further research,” says Dr. Lipscombe, adding that the results also suggest that as breast cancer patients are surviving more long-term, there is a need to pay more attention to some of the long-term health consequences that may affect these women.

    “Further work needs to be done to understand what those consequences are, but in the mean time one potential issue for them is an ongoing increased risk of diabetes, and so greater attention to preventive measures such as healthy lifestyle, regular exercise and keeping to a healthy weight might help to mitigate that risk,” Dr. Lipscombe says. “We also need to understand what are some of the other risk factors for that population that may put them at higher risk, and so they need to speak to their doctors about what their risk factors might be and whether they should be screened more closely for diabetes.

     

  • BIU to establish cancer centre

    BIU to establish cancer centre

    As part of efforts to help improve the health care of sufferers of cancerous ailment, which is fast ravaging the Nigerian society, authorities of the Benson Idahosa University (BIU), Benin, has disclosed plans to establish a research center to deal with the issue.

    The center, when operational, will also deal with health issues which are of great concern to human existence, including diabetes and prostate cancer.

    Disclosing this to newsmen in Benin City during the official presentation of Edotide food supplement drugs to the public, the vice chancellor of the University, Professor Macdonald Idu, said with such a breakthrough invention by a member of the BIU, succor have come to the sufferers of these ailment in Nigeria.

    He said by this common feat, the BIU has now become an affiliate of National Academic of Inventor (NAI), Florida USA, thus becoming the first university in the sub Sahara to be recognised by the Academics.

    While presenting the researcher, Professor Ernest Izevbigie, the VC said the drugs are made from extracts of bitterleaf.

    Prof. Izevbigie, who is the Deputy vice-chancellor of the Benson Idahosa University, said using local bitterleafs which is well grown in the country, has produced the drug which is now in high demand in Europe and America.

    The drug “Edotide”, according to Prof. Izevbigie, whose research focus is cancer biology and pharmacognosy, said it is very potent in the management of diabetes, prostate enlargement in men and breast cancer in women.

    Izvebigie, a professor in the area of vernonia amygdalina (bitter leaf) research at Jackson State University, said “We found that in using the plant material, some compounds from the extracts were able to inhibit the growth of breast cancer cells, later through collaborative research, we found they were also effective in other tumor cells,” he added.

    “Although, the formulations are not optimised for diabetes, they provide some health benefits to diabetes patients,” he said.

     

  • Stakeholders brainstorm on cancers

    Stakeholders have called on Nigerians to prevent cancer, which is gradually becoming an epidemic.

    A thoracic surgeon and a cancer epidemiologist at Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, New York, Dr Chukwuma Nworgu, said oncologists and other professionals in medicine were ready to tackle the disease.

    Nworgu spoke during a seminar/ collaboration on cancer between Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) and the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH).

    The theme was Collaboration against cancer from the public and private sector, and from different specialists.

    He said his organisation contacted the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) to have the workshop focus on cancers in Lagos, as a metropolitan city, and Nigeria at large.

    Nworgu said there was a need to discuss cancer and find out the most effective measures that can be taken to prevent cancers, such as diagnosing earlier to be able to treat it better.

    Collaborating among specialists and people in general can make a difference in cancer prevention, he added.

    Gastrointestinal (GI) specialist, Cancer Section, University College, London, Dr Austin Obitere, said there is cancer epidemic in Nigeria, stressing that it is necessary to have a better means of diagnosing the disease.

    “Now, the emphasis is to prevent the disease. I want to be able to stand in front of my patients and say I can cure you. That is how it is supposed to be. But, unfortunately, there is lack of education and awareness and with this there is very little you can do to help as a doctor,” he added.

    He said the workshop was to empower experts in LASUTH through education and information to help develop their own ‘tumour board’ and have in place a Cancer Registry and other aspects of cancer care.

    This, he said, will enable them deliver the best care possible to prevent the disease.

    He described the ‘tunour board’ as a group of specialists, who have an interest in the management of the disease.

    “They come together and work as a team with no exceptional or important person within the group who are working together to deliver the best possible care to the patients based on current evidence,” Obitere added.

    Consultant Oncologist, LASUTH, Dr Abiodun Popoola said the rate of cancer patients in LASUTH is high and majority of them present late.

  • ‘Bitter leaf good for cancer management’

    ‘Bitter leaf good for cancer management’

    The Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the Benson Idahosa University (BIU) Edo State, Prof. Ernest Izevbigie has stressed the efficacy of bitter leaf in the cure and management of cancer. He has therefore advocated the use of bitter leaf for effective management of cancer; especially breast cancer.

    Prof. Izevbigie said that they have discovered a formula that is used as dehydrate supplement that can be used in management of breast cancer, prostate cancer and prostate enlargement.

    He spoke while delivering a lecture at a one-day seminar organised by the National Cancer Preventive Programme (NCPP) that organised free mass cancer screening and treatment programme held in Benin-City, the Edo State capital.

    Prof. Izevbigie said: “I do not think that one of the most popular therapeutics can be curative. Cure would be effected and the disease will never come back. With cancer, no scientist has 100 per cent assurance of curing the disease.

    “It may come through relations, but, there are no guarantee that it would not come back.”

    Prof. Izevbigie further explained that the best way to prevent cancer was through early detection, regular physical exercise, fruits and vegetable consumption and weight control mechanism.

    He noted that low intake of fruits and vegetables could lead to cancer, even as he added that it was possible for anybody to suffer from cancer through much consumption of cow milk because of the different types of ingredients used in processing it.

  • Children now suffer from cancer, says group

    Can children have cancer? The answer appears to be yes as many children are said to have been diagnosed of the disease hitherto believe to be peculiar to adults.

    According to the Coordinator of Children with Cancer Intervention Initiative (CCII), a non-governmental organisation (NGO), Mrs Honour Onyebuchukwu, cancer has also become common among children.

    According to her, in one hospital alone, no fewer than 25 children are battling with the disease.

    Mrs. Onyebuchukwu,who spoke during a road show organised by the NGO to create awareness towards children who are battling with cancer, said eight out of them were lost to the disease.

    She said:“Our main objective is to assist the children battling with cancer and their parents and guardians in every way we can such as prayers, relieving the financial burden associated with the treatment, counseling and conducting enlightenment programmes through road shows, seminars and workshops.

    “Cancer is an environmental disease. Approximately five to 10 per cent of cancer is hereditary, the other 90 to 95 per cent of cancer cases can be attributed to environmental factors.

    “This is why the government has a part to play in developing the environment such that it would make it free of cancer. Government should also provide our hospitals with the needed equipments and finance for effective treatment of cancer.”

    Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the NGO, Nelson Osang said: “We aim to help parents to know what to look out for in detecting cancer at the early stage in their children. Parents can help their children stay off cancer by watching the food they eat, their life style, what they are exposed to and by making sure any unusual thing noticed in their body is reported to a doctor immediately.”

     

  • I had cancer, but fully okay now – Chime

    I had cancer, but fully okay now – Chime

    Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu State on Tuesday opened up on his health condition, admitting to journalists that he had cancer of the nose.

    Chime, who returned to the country after almost four months stay in United Kingdom, was quick to add that he has been given a clean bill of health by the British doctors.

    “I have been completely cured and declared cancer free by the doctors,” he told journalists.

    Looking hale and hearty, the governor spoke at length on his sojourn abroad and the unfair publicity given his absence by the Nigerian press.

    “When I read in the papers how I died in India, we then turn Nigerian papers to entertainment forum. We read what they wrote about me and laughed. It became an amusement kind of thing,” he said of Nigerian papers.

    Chime, who has fully resumed duty said although cancer is a deadly disease, he was never admitted in the hospital as in-patient but was going for treatment from his apartment in London.

    According to him, the treatment took complete 12 weeks and the doctors advised that he should be out of work for at least six months to ensure full recovery.

    But the doctors were amazed at the speed of his recovery and declared him cancer free and completely cured on December 14.

    “I left London a healthy man. I went on my own and not on emergency, and insisted that the lump I noticed be removed. Cancer is curable once you discover it early,” the governor admonished.

    He thanked the people of Enugu for their prayers, patience and for “rebuffing those from outside who came to deceive them and cause confusion while he was away.”

    Chime declared: “I have fully resumed. There is no doubt about that. I’m back and I’m back. No regrets whatsoever for going for treatment while on my vacation. If I have the opportunity again, I will do it.”

     

  • Contending with cancer

    Contending with cancer

    CANCER, also known as malignant neoplasm and the most feared word and disease in the world, is the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the body . It can also affect nearby parts of the body and more distant parts through the lymphatic system or the blood stream. There are over 200 different types of cancer that affect humans. The disease has been around as long as mankind but only in the second half of the 20th century did the number of cancer cases explode. In 2007, cancer caused about 13 percent of all human deaths worldwide (7.9million). This disease that can affect people of all ages does not just appear out of nowhere, it has definite causes that can be corrected if the body has enough time, and if actions are taken to change the body’s internal environment to one that creates health while at the same time attacking cancerous cells and tumour by exploiting their weaknesses.

    Essentially, cancers occur as a result of excessive amount of toxin and pollutants people are exposed to, obesity, tobacco use, lack of physical activity, high stress lifestyles that zap the immune system, poor quality junk food that are full of pesticides, irradiated and genetically modified. Other causes include electromagnetic lights and everything we were not exposed to 200 years ago. All these weaken the immune system and change the body’s internal environment to one that promotes cancer growth .While cancer can affect people of all ages, and a few types of cancer are more common in children, the risk of developing cancer generally increases with age.

    Malignant neoplasm or cancer is a group of different diseases involving irregulated cell growth which often made it to imitate other diseases. Often times, cancer patients have been treated for other diseases for so long leading to the metastases of the disease which eventually kill the patient. An example that readily comes to mind is the case of the late radical lawyer, Chief Gani Fawehimi, who was diagnosed with pneumonia and eventually died of lung cancer.

    Cancer can affect all the organs of the body. If it affects the lungs, it manifests in form of cough or pneumonia. For oesophageal cancer, it narrows the oesophagus causing painful swallowing anaemia or rectal bleeding. But perhaps the most predominant forms of cancer in Nigeria are those affecting the breast and the cervix also known as cervical cancer.

    The incidence of breast cancer in Nigeria is increasing just like in other developing countries and those advanced countries that used to have a low incidence. Several factors are responsible for this increasing incidence, but the most important is the empowerment of women which is increasing their ability to make independent decisions about their health care, such as the ability to choose when to start having children and the number to have and westernisation of diet.

    It has been observed that women with later age at onset of first pregnancies and a higher mean number of children have short term risks of developing cancer due to the stimulatory effects of pregnancy on the epithelial tissues of the breast. The protective effect of pregnancy is seen decades after the pregnancy , that is often after the age of forty years and in a country with low life expectancy , the women would have developed the disease before the pro- carcinogenic effect of pregnancy can be felt.

    On the other hand, cervical cancer which is the third most common type of cancer starts in the cells on the surface of the cervix usually very slowly. There are two types of cells on the cervix’s surface called the squamous and columnar cells , but usually most cervical cancers are from squamous cells. It starts as a precancerous condition called dysplasia which can only be detected through a diagnostic process called Pap smear. It usually takes years for cancerous changes to turn into cervical cancer. Most women diagnosed with this condition have not had regular pap smears or they have not followed up on abnormal test results. Dysplasia is most often seen in women ages 25-35, although it can develop at any age.

    Cervical dysplasia is caused by the human papilloma virus [HPV], spread through sexual intercourse and those at the risk of developing the condition include; women having sex before the age of 18, giving birth before age 16, having multiple sexual partners, smokers and using medication that suppresses the immune system.

    Determined to stamp out cervical cancer, the Federal Government through the Director of Hospital Services in the Federal Ministry of Health, Dr Patience Osinubi, during a press briefing to mark this year’s World’s Cancer Day, rolled out plans to eliminate the disease. These will be in form of deployment of cancer treatment trucks in hospitals nationwide, upgrading of six federal tertiary hospitals for the treatment of cancer as comprehensive centres with one for each geo-political zone.

    Generally, initial swelling in cancer is usually painless although localised pain may occur in advanced cancer. Other symptoms include fatigue, weight loss, unexplained anaemia, fever of unknown origin. In diagnosing cancer, a biopsy i.e. taking a specimen of the lump or swelling for examination is considered essential for the proper identification of the disease. Occasionally, a metastatic lump or pathological lymph node is found (in the neck) for which primary tumour cannot be found.

    Cancer is a curable disease that should not be allowed to terminate life, but it should be detected on time. Chemotherapy (drugs) and radiotherapy are used as a first line radical therapy in a number of malignancies where disease is clearly incurable aiming at improving the quality of and prolonging life. Surgeries are used to remove tumours entirely in situations where there are some degrees of certainties that the tumors can in fact be removed.

    Chemotherapy works by killing all cells throughout the body that multiply and divide rapidly which include cancer cells and other rapidly multiplying and dividing cells that the body needs. These include bone marrow which produces blood, digestive and reproductive system, and hair follicles etc. leading to anemia, loss of weight and hair loss.

    Therefore, as the world observes “The World Cancer Day” on February 4, 2013 everyone has to be involved in the campaign for the reduction of the cancer epidemic all over the world. The attention should shift towards exploring alternative means of tackling the disease. Herbal remedies should be used to combat the disease.

    In Nigeria, researchers have found out that herbal remedies can be used to combat the disease. These plant species include : African Pepper (xylopia aethopical), bitter kola (Garcinca kola), Sausage tree (kigelia Africana), Anthocleista dialonensis (sapo in Yoruba, Kwara in Hausa, Okpokolo in Igbo), Citrus Species (orange, grapefruit, tangerine, lime and lemon), Allium Species (garlic, onion, shallot).

    In essence, cancer patients do not have to avoid chemotherapy or radiotherapy to benefit from natural products and supplements. Nutritional supplements are quite useful when used in conjunction with chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery. The supplements work to support the body so that radiation and chemotherapy will actually work better resulting in stronger immune system which will better able to keep cancer from developing again.

    Since early detection is antidote to curing the disease, government at all levels should provide adequate equipments for diagnosing cancer, provide enlightenment and funds necessary for this purpose. When the right actions are taken, even aggressive, tough cancer can be defeated.

  • Silencing cancer myths

    World Cancer Day is being celebrated on 4 February 2013. Each year the World Health Organization (WHO) supports the International Union Against Cancer and promotes ways to ease the global burden of cancer.

    The WHO statistics show that cancer claims more than 7.6 million people annually; ranking it as one of the leading causes of death. About 70 percent of all cancer deaths occur in low- to- middle-income countries.

    Deaths from cancer worldwide are projected to continue to rise to over 13.1 million by 2030. The deadliest forms of cancer include breast, cervical, stomach, colon and liver. One-third of all cancer cases can be prevented through improving one’s diet, exercise and lifestyle habits.

    Cervical and breast cancer account for over 750,000 deaths each year with the vast majority of deaths occur in developing countries.

    The American Cancer Society reports a record one million new worldwide cases of stomach cancer and 800,000 deaths per year. Stomach cancer has been found to be the fourth most common type of cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death.

    It is reported that 1 in 114 men and women are at significant risk of developing stomach cancer at some point in their lives. Stomach cancers are especially prevalent in the African and Hispanic populations.

    *Cancer myth 1 – Cancer is just a health issue*

    Cancer is a serious medical condition but it has wide-reaching social, familial, economic and has discrimination implications. If the current trends continue, cancer is expected to increase by 81 percent in developing countries.

    The diagnosis coincidentally is a cause and an outcome of poverty. Cancer commonly affects an individual’s ability to earn an ongoing income but its treatment can cause complete financial ruin as well.

    Cancer is skyrocketing in developing areas as they lack access to education, prevention techniques and healthcare access. The rapid urbanization undermines national and international health resources and leaves people dying from the disease.

    *Cancer myth 2 – Cancer is a disease of the elderly and developed countries*

    Cancer does not discriminate. It is known to affect all ages and socio-economic groups. However, the greatest increases in cancer are occurring in developing countries. Cervical cancer is a striking example between developed and developing countries. “Over 85% of the 275,000 women who die every year from cervical cancer are from developing countries. If left unchecked, by 2030 cervical cancer will kill as many as 430,000 women per year,” according to Union for International Cancer Control (UICC).

    *Cancer myth 3 – Cancer is a death sentence*

    Cancers that were once thought to carry a death sentence are now being cured and most importantly prevented through advances in lifestyle education, awareness and prevention programmes. The new treatment is actually prevention.

    Improved education and access to preventative care is bringing improved cancer outcomes to patients. A prime example is cervical cancer rates. Access to pap testing and awareness has lowered cervical cancer mortality by half between 1990 and 2010 in the UK.

    *Cancer myth 4 – Cancer is my fate*

    Conservatively a third of the most common cancers can be prevented through lifestyle. However, lifestyle will play an exclusive role in one’s overall health, energy and vitality. Lifestyle can be the difference between developing cancer at age 40 or 70. The difference is an improved quality of life.

    Healthy lifestyles can substantially reduce cancers that are caused by alcohol, tobacco, unhealthy diet and physical inactivity. Simply by improving one’s diet, physical activity level and maintaining a healthy, body weight could prevent a third of the most common cancers.

    Dr. Cory Couillard is an international healthcare speaker and columnist for numerous newspapers, magazines, websites and publications throughout the world. He works in collaboration with the World Health Organization’s goals of disease prevention and global healthcare education. Views do not necessarily reflect endorsement.

     

  • WHO raises cancer alarm

    WHO raises cancer alarm

    Only 17 percent of African nations have sufficiently funded cancer control plans and less than half of all countries in the world have functioning plans to prevent the disease and provide treatment and care to patients, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said.

    The United Nations will tomorrow commemorate Cancer Day Worldwide to draw attention to the disease that killed 7.6 million persons in 2008,a figure that could double by 2030 to 13 million.

    A WHO official, Dr. Oleg Chestnov ,however says cancer should not be “ a death sentence anywhere in the world, as there are proven ways to prevent and cure many cancers.”

    The U.N.’s health body said it had recently conducted a survey of 185 countries revealing that less than half of them, and only 17 percent of countries in Africa, had sufficiently funded cancer control plans.

    This is a major concern in a world where each year almost 13 million new cancer cases are diagnosed and some 7.6 million people die of cancer — a number the WHO warned in 2010 could double to more than 13 million by 2030.

    The shortage of functioning cancer control plans is especially alarming in developing countries, since they already account for more than two-thirds of the new cancer cases and deaths each year.

    And things are only expected to get worse as populations age and increasingly feel the impact of exposure to major risk factors like tobacco, certain chemicals and infections, according to Dr. Andreas Ullrich, of WHO’s Department of Chronic Diseases.

    “We expect, especially in metropolitan areas of the developing world, to see a major increase in cancer,” he told reporters in Geneva Friday.

    The agency pointed out that up to a third of all cancer deaths are linked to “modifiable risks” like tobacco, obesity and harmful use of alcohol.

    Vaccines exist for some infections linked to cancer, including hepatitis B, which can cause liver cancer, and papillomavirus, which can cause cervical cancer.

    And if detected early on, many types of cancer can be cured, the agency pointed out.

    “In order to reduce exposure to risk factors leading to cancer and ensure that every person living with cancer gets access to appropriate care and treatment, comprehensive cancer control programs need to be set up in every country,” Chestnov in charge of WHO’s non-communicable diseases and mental health unit, said in a statement.

    Cancer accounts for 13 percent of all deaths registered globally and 70 per cent of that total occurs in middle and low income countries, according to the WHO.