As the world observed World Cancer Day yesterday, Guyana faced the grim reality that even with improved treatment the disease remained one of the top three causes of death.
According to Minister of Health Dr Leslie Ramsammy, about 450 persons die every year from various cancers in Guyana.
“In Guyana, cancer ranks as number three in terms of the top ten causes of death,” the minister told a small gathering that congregated to observe World Cancer Day yesterday at the Guyana Cancer Institute.
World Cancer Day was observed in Guyana under the theme ‘Cancer can be prevented too, get involved today!’
Ramsammy said that figures for the last twenty years have shown that cancer has always been in the top ten and in the last five years cancer has ranked in the top five causes of death, switching places with diabetes from time to time. But for two of the last three years cancer has been at number three. “So when we look at the causes of death there can be no doubt that cancer is one of our major public health challenges,” he said. He added that the main cancers in the country are breast, prostate and cervical but significant numbers of people were also presenting with lung, stomach and colon cancers. Meanwhile, he was high in praises for the Guyana Cancer Registry, which he said although not perfect has been doing a very good job.
According to Ramsammy, few developing countries have cancer registries and as such many have no idea how much cancer is occurring in their respective countries.
According to preliminary figures from the registry, in 2008 some 657 persons were diagnosed with cancer; 2009 saw 490 diagnoses; while up to June last year there were 200 cases.
However, it was pointed out that the figures will change greatly as the registry is still tabulating data. “We in Guyana are not perfect in developing our information as yet but we are quite advanced in the process and I, as minister of health, take pride in that fact and I believe that all Guyana should take pride in that fact. And so let me publicly congratulate the cancer registry. While you have much more work to do you have done excellent work in [providing me with the figures],” Ramsammy said yesterday.
He also called on public and private practitioners to assist the registry in tabulating the figures by providing the necessary data. He said the private sector is still very slow in reporting to the registry but a recent survey found that many public health professionals were not even aware that there was a registry; a fact the minister said is unacceptable.
He said through the theme Guyana is saying that like other public conditions cancer can be prevented in most instances. The minister pointed out that being overweight and obese can contribute to cancer while alcohol and cigarettes also cause cancer–more than one drink a day puts a person at risk for various kinds of cancers. Ramsammy stressed that people still don’t know that diet is also a risk factor for cancer.
As has been pointed out several times in the past, the minister said, the problem in Guyana is that people go too late for treatment and in some cases by then there is nothing that could be done for them.
And according to Ramsammy 5% of the health sector’s budget is spent on cancer medicine, which he described as an enormous investment even though “all the medicines cannot be available all the time.” He said $100 million will go to cancer medicine this year which has increased from zero ten years ago and demonstrates the government’s efforts to help its people.
He noted that while radiotherapy has become integral in cancer treatment in many parts of the world it is not available in many developing countries. Up to a few years ago it was not available in Guyana. It is now being offered at the cancer institute and in many cases the cost is subsidised by the ministry. He said the radiotherapy service is of high quality, which was found in a Pan American Health Organisation survey that also made some recommendations which are going to be implemented.
Ramsammy said last year 400 persons were treated at the institute and all of them may have faced sure death because radiotherapy was not available some years ago. The minister acknowledged however that Guyana is not providing the “perfect treatment for everyone… but we are on our way and with help from everyone… we will improve the service.”
The minister said that the institute has made a significant contribution to cancer treatment in Guyana.
Meantime, visiting oncologist at CHI Dr Narindra Bhala said that since the institute opened its doors in 2006 mortality and morbidity from cancer have been greatly reduced by about 70%.
He said there are some very rare cancers being found in Guyana and gave the example of one child in the last five years being diagnosed with cancer in the eye. He said after the treatment was finished an MRI was done and there “is no mass there”. The child is seeing now. A nine-year-old was also diagnosed with cancer of the ovary.
“So we find these rare kinds of cancer here in Guyana but the most common are cervical, breast, prostate and colon cancer,” the oncologist said.
The doctor said that interior patients are not educated about the prevention method and means of diagnosis but he said even persons who are aware of what needs to be done are not taking the necessary steps.
He urged that screening and check-ups be done because once detected in the early stage some cancers can be treated successfully.
