Delayed screening contributing to rise in cancer cases

Feb 13, 2025 News

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– Coordinator of Cancer urges persons to get routine screening

Kaieteur News-Cancer cases are steadily increasing here and one of the key reasons behind this troubling trend is the delayed response of individuals seeking early detection, according to Dr. Shanique Greaves, Coordinator of Cancer Services at the Chronic Disease Unit for the Ministry of Health.

Speaking during the Ministry’s Health Matters Programme, Dr Greaves emphasised the critical need for early screening to combat cancer effectively. “Prevention is always better than a cure,” Dr. Greaves said.

She added, “we can be able to avoid a disease from happening or any sort of disaster, we should get in front of the situation in doing so, unfortunately, it’s not a very much practiced culture here  in Guyana, … we tend to wait for that last moment when it really affects us, when we can’t do our job at home, or at work.”

This tendency to delay medical visits is a significant challenge in the fight against cancer, Dr. Greaves explained. “We have been having an increasing case of persons coming in and when they get their diagnosis, sometimes it’s just too late, so it is important that we get all our routine screening done, as much as we may feel, ‘oh I healthy, I don’t have anything, I don’t have any signs or symptoms,’ it doesn’t mean that there is nothing going on,” she said.

In an effort to combat this, the Ministry of Health has introduced several programmes, including the cervical cancer elimination programme launched in 2024, as well as initiatives targeting prostate and breast cancer. These programmes are aimed at improving access to screenings and treatment. However, Dr. Greaves acknowledged that overcoming the cultural barrier of seeking help only when it’s too late remains a significant challenge. Further, the government also introduced Human papillomavirus (HPV) voucher screening and breast cancer programmes, which will continue into this year, with the goal of encouraging the public to take part in screenings and stay informed.

Furthermore, another area of concern is childhood cancer. Dr. Greaves has explained that cancer is the leading cause of death among children worldwide. She noted that a lack of early diagnosis is contributing to the rising cancer rates in children. “Many cases are diagnosed too late, especially in low- and middle-income countries where healthcare resources are limited. She asserted, “It is something that we are currently working (on) … in order to create a strategy to combat that and also to decrease the disease burden.”

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) cancer is a leading cause of death for children and adolescents worldwide. WHO stated in an article, “the likelihood of surviving a diagnosis of childhood cancer depends on the country in which the child lives; in high-income countries, more than 80% of children with cancer are cured, but in many LMICs (Low- and middle-income countries) less than 30% are cured (2).” It was explained that childhood cancer is difficult to prevent or detect early, but most types are treatable with standard medicines, surgery, and radiotherapy. In LMICs, survival rates are lower due to delayed diagnosis, difficulty in obtaining accurate diagnoses, lack of accessible treatment, treatment abandonment, side effects, and preventable relapses. Taking that into account, each year, around 400,000 children and adolescents (ages 0–19) are diagnosed with cancer, with common types including leukemias, brain tumors, lymphomas, and solid tumors like neuroblastoma and Wilms tumor.

Meanwhile, this publication  reported that in 2023, the Ministry of Health’s cancer registry reported a 38% increase in cancer cases compared to 2022. Cancer deaths rose from 443 in 2022 to 612 in 2023. Prostate cancer deaths stood at 76 in 2023, while lung cancer deaths increased from 16 in 2020 to 29 in 2023. Colorectal cancer deaths also rose from 16 in 2020 to 29 in 2023. Breast cancer deaths in women went from 50 in 2020 to 56 in 2023, while lung cancer deaths among women surged from 6 in 2022 to 17 in 2023. Cervical cancer deaths rose steadily from 26 in 2020 to 45 in 2023. Ovarian cancer deaths were 14 in 2023, down from 22 in 2020.

Additionally, in the first half of 2024, the Ministry of Health’s cancer registry recorded 693 cancer cases. The most common types were breast cancer, with 149 cases, followed by prostate cancer (91), cervix cancer (62), and colorectal cancer (57). Other cancers included ovarian (10), endometrial (51), thyroid (14), stomach (12), lung and bronchus (10), uterus (10), liver and kidney (9 each), lymphoma (8), bladder and tongue (7 each), pancreas (6), and esophageal (5). Four cases of brain cancer and one case of acute myeloid leukemia (AML+ALL) were reported. Additionally, 161 cases were categorized as “other,” and no bile duct cancer cases were recorded.

(Delayed screening contributing to rise in cancer cases)

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• detection, Health, rise, Screening, Tags: cancer

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