Over 3,000 cancer cases recorded at Sulaimani hospital

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Figures from Hiwa Hospital in Sulaimani indicate that the number of cancer cases was more than 3,000 in 2023, with the prevalence of the deadly disease increasing annually at an alarming rate. 

The most common cancer type in the hospital is breast cancer followed by cancers in the colon, lung, and blood (leukaemia, lymphoma, and myeloma). 

Ismail Hama Karim, a cancer patient, has been suffering from lung cancer for nearly a year. According to the treatment prescribed by his doctor, he must visit Hiwa Hospital every three weeks to receive chemotherapy.

Karim told Kurdistan24 that people should be tested for cancer every three or six months so that if they are diagnosed with it, the disease can be controlled and treated as soon as possible.

“Two out of five cases are breast cancer, which is unfortunately 99% of women,” Dr. Muhammed Abdullah, head of the cancer control department at Hiwa Hospital, told Kurdistan24.

The most common causes of cancer are believed to be underlying chronic diseases, environmental pollution, smoking, drinking excessive amounts of alcohol, unhealthy eating, lack of exercise, and obesity.

The disease is still one of the leading causes of death worldwide, as health establishments grapple with finding treatments and developing better diagnostics. Early diagnosis of the disease is widely advised by health officials to prevent the condition from worsening.

Previously in April 2023, the concert 'Hope and Strength for Children with Cancer' was held in Erbil. A number of artists from across Kurdistan participated in the concert to raise money for cancer patients.

Moreover, on June 11, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani inaugurated the opening of a Radiation Cancer Treatment Center in Duhok.

Read More: PM Barzani opens cancer treatment center in Duhok