BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – UNDER the theme “Debunk the Myths", countries around the world - including St. Kitts and Nevis - are today (Feb 4) observing World Cancer Day.
Touted as the third largest killer, approximately 84 million people have been diagnosed with cancer between 2004 and 2014 and the disease continues to have an inverse effect on populations around the world.
According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO) the burden attached to countries - especially smaller developing nations - will continue to have a strain on economies worldwide. This comes as there is expected to be a rise in the number of new cases annually with a significant worldwide increase over the next two decades.
“In 2012, the worldwide burden of cancer rose to an estimated 14 million new cases per year, a figure expected to rise to 22 million annually within the next two decades. Over the same period, cancer deaths are predicted to rise from an estimated 8.2 million annually to 13 million per year. Globally, in 2012 the most common cancers diagnosed were those of the lung (1.8 million cases, 13.0% of the total), breast (1.7 million, 11.9%), and large bowel (1.4 million, 9.7%). The most common causes of cancer death were cancers of the lung (1.6 million, 19.4% of the total), liver (0.8 million, 9.1%), and stomach (0.7 million,8.8%).
“Many developing countries continue to be disproportionately affected by the double burden of high infection-related cancers (including those of the cervix, liver, and stomach) and the rising incidence of cancers (such as those of the lung, breast, and large bowel) associated with industrialized lifestyles.”
However, the Federation has seen a number of females being diagnosed with breast or cervical cancer, while the numbers have remained stable for men.
In a recent interview with SKNVibes Health, the Federation’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Patrick Martin explained that both men and women are not taking their health seriously as neither take frequent checkups with the doctors for prostate, cervical, breast cancer or other related cancers.
He told SKNVibes that these checks are free of cost to persons willing to have them done and they can be screened at their nearest health centers.
WHO has however called for a “well-conceived, well-managed national cancer control programme” that ” lowers cancer incidence and improves the life of cancer patients, no matter what resource constraints a country faces.”
Cancer is a generic term for a large group of diseases that can affect any part of the body. Other terms used are malignant tumors and neoplasm.
One defining feature of cancer is the rapid creation of abnormal cells that grow beyond their usual boundaries, and which can then invade adjoining parts of the body and spread to other organs: this process is referred to as metastasis. Metastases are the major cause of death from cancer, according to WHO.
