Cancer tide to hit poor

Some 84 million people risk dying from cancer over the next decade, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said.

The IAEA, the UN atomic watchdog, is involved in the fight against the disease through its Programme of Action for Cancer Therapy (PACT) division, which shares the organisation's knowledge of radiotherapy techniques with other partners in the field.

PACT head Massud Samiei told journalists that "the cancer epidemic will gather pace in developing countries."

Biggest killer in the world
Cancer killed 7.6 million people in 2005, according to WHO statistics, making it the single biggest cause of death, ahead of AIDS, TB and malaria combined.

Samiei said that 70 percent of new cancer cases in the next decade are likely to occur in developing countries, where a lack of training, staff, resources and money mean millions of people do not get the care they need.

In Africa, for example, less than half of the continent's 53 countries offer any form of radiotherapy to cancer patients.

The IAEA estimates that around one billion dollars (over R7 billion) will be needed to develop radiotherapy and other forms of treatment in developing countries over the next decade.

However, "being diagnosed with cancer should not equal a death sentence," Samiei said.

Effective monitoring can catch a third of cases before they become a health risk, while prompt and efficient treatment can help heal another third of cases, he added. – (Sapa)

Read more:
Cancer on the increase in 3rd world
Cancer Centre

January 2008