| Cancer 78% of all newly diagnosed cervical cancer cases in the world occur in developing countries, primarily Sub-Saharan Africa; South and South East Asia; Latin American and the Caribbean. Cancer death figures annually worldwide are 5.2 million. 55% of this occurs in the developing nations. The top cancers in Africa are: MEN - Kaposi's sarcoma (50 000), liver, prostate, bladder, Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, lung, stomach, colon, oesophagus; WOMEN - cervix (80,000), breast, Kaposi's sarcoma, liver, stomach. Kaposi's sarcoma is mainly diagnosed in 35 year olds - the same age group for AIDS. Between 67,000 and 112,000 new cases expected in Africa. Before the advent of AIDS the incidence in Africa was only 5 per 100,000. Now it is 20-times higher. This is the most common cancer in Africa now. Breast cancer is increasing in almost every country on earth and no one knows exactly why. Prostrate cancer is poised to become the number 1 cancer in Africa. The entire West African region lacks facilities for cancer detection and treatment. Other problems to managing the disease in Sub-Saharan Africa: - Advanced disease at time of presentation - Poor screening and prevention programs - Insufficient personnel with poor service conditions - Poorly trained support staff Information from World Health Organization |
