Quoting staggering statistics which show the impact of cancer in the region, the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) last week urged governments to step up the implementation of public policies that could prevent more than one-third of cancers.
In a message to commemorate World Cancer Day on February 4, PAHO noted that cancer is the second leading cause of death in the Americas, where an estimated 2.8 million people are newly diagnosed and 1.4 million people die from this group of diseases each year. The leading cancer types in the region in men are lung, prostate and colorectal cancer; and in women: breast, lung and cervical cancer. If no further action is taken, cancer is projected to result in over 4 million new cases and 1.9 million deaths by 2025, it added, driven in part by the aging population and changing lifestyles. However, it noted that experts have said that more than one-third of cancers could be prevented by reducing risk factors, particularly smoking, being overweight, obesity, physical inactivity, unhealthy diet and excessive use of alcohol.
The statement quoted PAHO’s regional advisor on cancer Silvana Luciani as saying, “To address cancer and save lives, we must strengthen policies and services that effectively prevent and detect cancer in its early stages, and also increase access to treatment and improve cancer patients’ quality of life.”
Some of the strategies PAHO proposed to reduce the risk of cancer and other non-communicable diseases were increasing taxes on, restricting access to, and warning about the dangers of tobacco and alcohol and promoting public awareness about healthy diet, exercise and maintaining healthy weight. It also recommended immunizing infants against hepatitis B to prevent liver cancer, and immunizing girls against human papillomavirus to prevent cervical cancer as well as organising screening programmes for cervical and breast cancers to detect them at early stages when they are more amenable to treatment.
World Cancer Day was observed under the theme ‘We can, I can.’
