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,