Cancer stats a major concern
We are not a healthy nation
Breast cancer accounts for most cancer-related deaths in Namibia.
The latest available cancer statistics in Namibia are alarming, according to the Cancer Association of Namibia (CAN) report based on figures from 2022 by the Global Cancer Observatory (Globocan)."We need serious interventions for cancer in Namibia," says CAN chief executive Rolf Hansen.
Globocan's figures show that Namibia's cancer rates are higher compared to the rest of Africa. However, the fact that there is less data available in some African countries can influence these figures.
Namibia's statistics are compared with those of South Africa, Botswana, Africa as a whole, Eastern Europe and Western Europe.
"There is still much that needs to be done to persuade Namibians to take their health more seriously. It is not only about cancer, but also about blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, cholesterol, among other things. . .
"We, as a nation, are not healthy - that's a fact - and this data is clear. Namibia is not a healthy country," says Hansen.
In terms of breast and prostate cancer, Namibia fares well with only Western Europe doing worse in relation to prostate cancer, and both Western and Eastern Europe doing worse in susceptibility to breast and prostate cancer.
"The global increase in cancer is also observed in Namibia. We cannot just say: 'Look at the rest of Africa, there is no cancer'. This is simply because obtaining data is not a priority. In many countries, cancer treatment is not available to the majority of the population and many countries have no cancer care at all," Hansen said.
Most common
Breast cancer is still the most common in Namibia, with 553 cases in 2022 - almost double the number of cases of the second most common cancer in Namibia, cervical cancer.
Prostate cancer reported the third most total cases, but at an average of every 100 000 of the population, prostate cancer tops the list.
Second on the list of the average out of every 100 000 of the population is breast cancer, followed by cervical cancer in third place.
In 2022, 227 patients died from breast cancer in Namibia, 203 patients from cervical cancer, 199 from skin cancer and 143 from prostate cancer.
"Unfortunately, CAN cannot make a choice and say we must focus on this or that. We have to work with at least the top five types of cancer and that's why we fight so hard to raise awareness for skin cancer, breast cancer. . . to create awareness. We see at this stage that men are in a difficult situation when it comes to prostate cancer, so we need to raise more awareness around breast cancer and prostate cancer.
"Cervical cancer is a huge challenge in our country, but because it is preventable, we need to put policies in place. This should motivate the government to start cervical programs, which include vaccination and papilloma virus tests," Hansen said.
He again appealed to the state's health service providers to decentralise cancer care in Namibia.
"CAN is grateful to the Ministry of Health and Social Services and the Namibian government that we have access to cancer care for government patients in particular. However, we must understand that a centralised approach to oncology services is no longer practical and that a decentralised approach is a benchmark to strive for.
"We especially need quality cancer care for government and financially vulnerable Namibians in the north and on the coast where respectively the most and third most populous communities live," Hansen said. – [email protected]