Over the last decade, the Cancer Association of Namibia (CAN) has received reports from the national cancer registry, which includes all pathology labs in the country, of over 3 780 breast cancer cases, making this cancer the most common in the country.

This was announced on Tuesday by CAN Chief Executive Officer, Rolf Hansen as the organisation prepares to commemorate Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which is observed annually in October.

According to Hansen, while 3 681 of these cases were among Namibian women, men accounted for 107 breast cancer diagnoses. Namibia records an average of 3 740 cases of all types of cancers per year, with breast cancer accounting for 368 cases on average.

He added that cervical cancer and breast cancer are the most common cancers in women, accounting for an average of 600 cases per year over the last decade.

“Cancer is still on the rise, but early intervention and quality treatment improves survival rates,” Hansen explained.

When comparing the Namibian Age Standardised Rate (ASR) to international and African cancer trends, Hansen believes Namibia should place a greater emphasis on breast- and cervical cancer, in addition to Kaposi’s sarcoma.

“The current trends indicate that the population at risk, infection rate, and mortality, particularly among Namibian women, remain concerning,” Hansen said.

On the positive side, he stated that the Ministry of Health and Social Services has implemented effective cervical screening programmes over the last two years and that when combined with CAN’s national outreach programmes, the focus on both breast and cervical cancer, the stronger preventative and earlier treatment thereof are becoming a reality.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency