Press. voanews.com
To mark
World Cancer Day, the World Health Organization urges the adoption of healthy
life styles as a way to lower cancer risks. WHO also emphasizes that early
diagnosis and treatment for cancer can save many lives.
Much
progress has been made in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. But, the
statistics regarding this disease remain terrible. Cancer is the second leading
cause of death globally, killing nearly nine million people yearly, with about
14 million new cases being diagnosed.
The most
common causes of cancer death include lung, liver, colorectal, stomach and
breast cancers. The World Health Organization reports tobacco use is the most
important risk factor, followed by alcohol use, unhealthy diet and lack of
physical activity.
WHO
technical officer for cancer control, Andre Ilbawi says approximately 70
percent of cancer deaths are in low-and middle-income countries, while the
number of cases in these countries is increasing at a fast and worrying rate.
He agrees
this is a cause of concern, but tells VOA simple actions can be taken even by
the poorest countries to address this issue.
"First
and foremost, the greatest priority is to diagnose cancer early.This is a more
significant intervention than, as you mentioned, the advanced technologies and
the expensive medicines that can be prohibitive in low-income
countries.Identifying cancer early is the most effective way to treat it and by
offering that population basic treatment, you can, in fact, save a large
percentage of cancer patients even with minimal resources," he said.
Ilbawi
says important actions that developing countries can take to improve cancer
outcomes include improving community awareness of the disease, early detection
through better diagnosis in primary health care and accessing affordable
treatment.
The World
Health Organization also stresses the importance of a healthy lifestyle. It
says eating more fruits and vegetables, regular exercise, no tobacco use and
moderate alcohol intake can cut cancer deaths by one third.