Number of cancer patients in Kurdistan Region falls below world average: Health official

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – There were over 5,000 cases of cancer patients recorded in the Kurdistan Region in 2018, a health minister said on Monday.

According to Kurdistan Region Health Minister Rekawt Rashed, data collected in 2018 shows that over “18.1 million individuals were diagnosed with cancer worldwide.”

Cancer is the second leading cause of death globally. The disease was responsible for an estimated 9.6 million deaths in 2018.

According to the World Health Organization, about one in six deaths occur due to cancer, worldwide. Additionally, the organization says an average of 200 per 100,000 persons is infected with cancer every year.

In the Kurdistan Region last year, “a total of 5,680 individuals were diagnosed with cancer,” Rashed said, which means the number of cancer patients in Kurdistan fell “below the world average,” with 105 diagnosed per 100,000 individuals.

“The Ministry of Health, Council of Ministers, and aid groups provided most of the treatment and preventive measures, sending those with severe cases abroad for better and proper treatment,” he added.

Smoking tobacco, drinking alcohol, an unhealthy diet, and the lack of an active lifestyle are significant risks which lead to cancer worldwide. They are also the four shared risk factors for other non-communicable diseases.

Feb. 4 has been marked as World Cancer Day to raise awareness about the illness, encourage early diagnosis, as well as treatment and other forms of prevention services.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany