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WORLD CANCER DAY

40% cancer can be prevented!

Star Health Desk
Being diagnosed with cancer is one of the worst nightmares in anyone's life. The deadly cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide that accounted for 7.6 million deaths (around 13 percent of all deaths) in 2008. Unfortunately, more than 70 percent of all these cancer deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries like Bangladesh where resources available for prevention, diagnosis and treatment are limited or nonexistent.
Evidence from the World Health Organisation (WHO) suggests that over 40 percent of all cancer can be prevented and some of the most common cancers — including breast, colorectal and cervical cancer — are curable if detected early. Even with late cancer, pain can be reduced, progression of the cancer slowed and patients and their families helped to cope.
However, regardless of resource level, all countries can implement the four basic components of cancer control prevention, early detection and diagnosis and treatment, palliative care and thus avoid and cure many cancers as well as palliating the suffering.
With a view to encourage effective cancer control, World Cancer Day is observed today (each year on February 4) to help raise people’s awareness on cancer and ways to prevent, detect or treat the deadly disease with the recurring themes to preventing cancer and raising quality of life for the patients.
Cancer is to a large extent avoidable by the avoidance of the risk factors. About 30 percent of cancer deaths are due to five leading behavioural and dietary risks: high body mass index (overweight and obesity), low fruit and vegetable intake, lack of physical activity, tobacco use, alcohol use. Among them tobacco use is the most important risk factor (causing 22 percent of global cancer deaths and 71 percent of global lung cancer deaths).
Cancer-causing viral infections such as HBV/HCV (causes liver cancer) and HPV (causes cervical cancer) are responsible for up to 20 percent of cancer deaths in low- and middle-income countries. But these cancers could easily be prevented by vaccines and simple control strategies.
Undertaking 150 minutes a week of moderate physical activities can reduce the risk of breast and colon cancers, according to the Global Recommendations on Physical Activity for Health. Recent data from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) suggests that a daily consumption of500 grams of fruits and vegetables can decrease incidence of cancers of the digestive tract by up to 25 percent.
Again, cancer mortality can be reduced if cases are detected and treated early. There are two components of early detection efforts: early diagnosis by making people aware with early signs-symptoms and regular screening to detect cancer.
Experts recommend that in a developing country like Bangladesh, cost-effective interventions for the following components: tobacco control, infection control, healthy lifestyle, a curable cancer programme combined with palliative care should be at the core of the cancer control strategy.