Cancer cases up by 38 %, 612 deaths recorded last year

Oct 08, 2024 News

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Kaieteur News- The Ministry of Health’s cancer registry has reported a staggering 38 percent increase in cancer cases in 2023, when compared to the previous year.

The cancer registry has revealed a troubling trend in cancer mortality rates, with deaths rising from 443 in 2022 to 612 in 2023, marking a significant increase. Between 2019 and 2020, a total of 565 cancer deaths were recorded. Prostate cancer statistics show fluctuations over the years: 88 deaths in 2020, 81 in 2021, 71 in 2022, and 76 in 2023, the registry disclosed.

For lung cancer, there were 16 deaths in 2020, rising to 20 in 2022, and then increasing  to 29 in 2023. Colorectal cancer deaths also saw a rise, with 16 deaths in 2020, 20 in 2021, 18 in 2022, and 29 in 2023. It is important to note that these figures primarily reflect male patients. Turning to female cancer statistics, breast cancer accounted for 50 deaths in 2020, 64 in 2021, 53 in 2022, and 56 in 2023. Lung cancer fatalities among women were reported at eight in both 2020 and 2021, dropping to six in 2022 before rising sharply to 17 in 2023.

Colorectal cancer resulted in eight deaths in 2020, 25 in 2021, 23 in 2022, and a decrease to 13 in 2023. For cervical cancer, deaths rose from 26 in 2020 to 35 in 2021, and then to 43 in 2022, reaching 45 in 2023. Lastly, ovarian cancer deaths were recorded at 22 in 2020, 16 in 2021, eight in 2022, and 14 in 2023.

This publication had reported that the World Health Organization (WHO)’s published survey results from 115 countries, showing a majority of countries do not adequately finance priority cancer and palliative care services, as part of universal health coverage (UHC). The IARC estimates, based on the best sources of data available in countries in 2022, highlight the growing burden of cancer, the disproportionate impact on underserved populations, and the urgent need to address cancer inequities worldwide.

In 2022, there were an estimated 20 million new cancer cases and 9.7 million deaths. The estimated number of people who were alive within 5 years following a cancer diagnosis was 53.5 million. About 1 in 5 people develop cancer in their lifetime, approximately 1 in 9 men and 1 in 12 women die from the disease. The global WHO survey on UHC and cancer shows that only 39% of participating countries covered the basics of cancer management as part of their financed core health services for all citizens, ‘health benefit packages’ (HBP). Only 28% of participating countries additionally covered care for people who require palliative care, including pain relief in general, and not just linked to cancer.

Three major cancer types in 2022: lung, breast and colorectal cancers

The new estimates available on IARC’s Global Cancer Observatory show that 10 types of cancer collectively comprised around two-thirds of new cases and deaths globally in 2022. Data covers 185 countries and 36 cancers.

Lung cancer was the most commonly occurring cancer worldwide with 2.5 million new cases accounting for 12.4% of the total new cases. Female breast cancer ranked second (2.3 million cases, 11.6%), followed by colorectal cancer (1.9 million cases, 9.6%), prostate cancer (1.5 million cases, 7.3%), and stomach cancer (970 000 cases, 4.9%).

Lung cancer was the leading cause of cancer death (1.8 million deaths, 18.7% of the total cancer deaths) followed by colorectal cancer (900 000 deaths, 9.3%), liver cancer (760 000 deaths, 7.8%), breast cancer (670 000 deaths, 6.9%) and stomach cancer (660 000 deaths, 6.8%). Lung cancer’s re-emergence as the most common cancer is likely related to persistent tobacco use in Asia.

There were some differences by sex in incidence and mortality from the global total for both sexes. For women, the most commonly diagnosed cancer and leading cause of cancer death was breast cancer, whereas it was lung cancer for men. Breast cancer was the most common cancer in women in the vast majority of countries (157 of 185).

For men, prostate and colorectal cancers were the second and third most commonly occurring cancers, while liver and colorectal cancers were the second and third most common causes of cancer death. For women, lung and colorectal cancer were second and third for both the number of new cases and of deaths.

Cervical cancer was the eighth most commonly occurring cancer globally and the ninth leading cause of cancer death, accounting for 661 044 new cases and 348 186 deaths. It is the most common cancer in women in 25 countries, many of which are in sub-Saharan Africa. Even while recognizing varying incidence levels, cervical cancer can be eliminated as a public health problem, through the scale-up of the WHO Cervical Cancer Elimination Initiative.

To read more: https://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2024/02/06/global-cancer-burden-growing-amidst-mounting-need-for-services/

(Cancer cases up by 38 %, 612 deaths recorded last year)

 

 

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• cancer, cancer registry, death, Health Ministry, increase

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