About 1.1 million new cases of cancer result in up to 700,000 deaths in Africa every year, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said.

“Breast cancer, cervical, prostate, liver and colorectal cancers, account for almost half the new cases on the continent annually,” WHO Country Representative, Dr Walter Kazadi Mulombo, said.

In his speech to commemorate the 2022 International Cancer Week, Mulombo also said: “Children are also inequitably impacted. Of the more than 400,000 children diagnosed annually with cancer around the world, about 90% live in low- and middle-income countries”.

According to him, “Survival rates are at a very low 20% or less in African countries, compared to more than 80% in developed countries.

“A renewed effort to curb new cancer cases is urgent; alarming projections are that cancer death rates in Africa will rise exponentially over the next 20 years, exceeding the global average by 30%”.

The International Cancer Week is commemorated every year and the theme for this year is “Bridging the Cancer Care Gap: Improving Diagnosis and Multidisciplinary Management”.

He reiterated WHO's commitment to supporting the country in order to implement priority activities towards cancer prevention and control.

He commended the effort of the federal government towards cancer prevention and control in Nigeria.

He said: “I want to start by acknowledging the Federal Ministry of Health under the leadership of the Honorable Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, for your commitment

“I must also commend the National Coordinator, the National Cancer Control Programme and the Local Organizing Committee for successfully bringing us all to this weeklong event. “I acknowledge all stakeholders present here today”.

Mulombo identified common challenges faced in the region to include limited access to primary prevention and early detection services, lack of awareness and education in addition to delays in diagnosis and treatment.

He added: “There is also limited access to palliative care and pain relief. Shortages of specialists in medical and radiation oncology, pathology, medical physics and other essential areas compound the gaps.

“Africa has only 3% of the world’s cancer treatment facilities, with radiotherapy available in just 22 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, which contributes to poor survival rates.

“To 'close the care gap', WHO is supporting a number of key initiatives in countries. “They include the Cervical Cancer Elimination Initiative, the Global Breast Cancer Initiative, the Global Initiative for Childhood Cancers among others. For examples, in the African region, 45% of countries introduced national HPV vaccination programmes to address the cervical cancer threat”.

The International Cancer Week is in line with the World Cancer Day which was celebrated on February 4 to mark the start of a three-year campaign to raise global awareness around cancer and its impacts, especially on the most vulnerable citizens.

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