The Sunday News
CERVICAL cancer is the major contributor to cancer-related deaths in the country. This comes amid calls for Government and other stakeholders to prioritise funding to reduce escalating cases of the disease.
Latest statistics from the Zimbabwe Cancer Registry reveal that cases of cancer are gradually increasing with Harare Province leading in both reported incidents and deaths, as more than 5 000 people are diagnosed with cancer annually in the country.
The statistics from 2012 were only released recently.
“The leading causes of the deaths were cervical cancer with 11 percent, Kaposi sarcoma nine percent, oesophagus nine percent, prostate cancer nine percent, non-Hodgkin lymphoma eight percent, primary liver cancer eight percent, colo-rectal cancer five percent, breast cancer four percent and lung cancer four percent,” said Mr Eric Chokunonga, the Zimbabwe Cancer Registry registrar.
“The total number of new cancer cases recorded among Zimbabweans in 2012 was 6 107 comprising 2 621 (42.9 percent) males and 3 486 (57.1 percent) females.”
Mr Chokunonga also said Harare and Bulawayo recorded the highest number of new reported cases. Harare recorded 2 337 cancer cases, Bulawayo 773, Manicaland 300, Masvingo 257, Mashonaland Central 291, Mashonaland East 807, Mashonaland West 353, Midlands 321, Matabeleland North 177 and the least was Matabeleland South with 72 reported cases.
The leading cause of cancer among Zimbabwean black men in 2012 was prostate cancer 18,1 percent, followed by Kaposi sarcoma with 15,6 percent, non-Hodgkin lymphoma 8,5 percent, oesophagus 6,4 percent, eye 4,6 percent, liver 4,4 percent, stomach 4,2 percent, non-melanoma skin cancer 3,2 percent, lung 2,7 percent and colon two percent.
Statistics also show that the incidence of prostate cancer increased by three percentage points from 15,4 percent to 18,1 percent. The increase of cancer cases, Mr Chokunonga said, was due to a change in people’s lifestyle.
“As in other developing countries, cancer continues to be on the increase in Zimbabwe. This is attributed to lifestyle changes, diet and other factors,” said Mr Chokunonga.
“Again, as in other nations in the developing world, the majority of cancers in Zimbabwe are related to infections such as HIV (Kaposi sarcoma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma and squamous cell carcinoma of the conjunctiva), HPV (cervical cancer) and Hepatitis B (primary liver cancer).”
Mr Chokunonga added that HIV-related cancers (Kaposi sarcoma, cervical cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma and squamous cell carcinomas of the conjunctiva) continue to occupy important positions on the ladder of rankings in both males and females.
However, he said the incidence of Kaposi sarcoma had been steadily declining after the maturation of the HIV/Aids epidemic in the late 1990s. The decline has been accelerated by the increasing availability of anti-retroviral therapy (ART), which suppresses manifestations of Aids in HIV positive patients. The national ART rollout programme was initiated in 2004. Efforts are under way to ascertain HIV status for all cancers reported.
