TANZANIA joined the rest of the world to mark the World Cancer Day on Monday this week as an important platform for raising awareness on cancer and efforts to combat the fatal disease.
Cancer occurs due to the uncontrolled, abnormal growth of cells in the tissue or organ of the body. It can occur at any age and if it is not detected and treated at the right time, it can increase the risk of death.
It is the second leading cause of death globally. Poor lifestyle choices such as smoking, overuse of alcohol, poor diet with more intake of processed foods and lack of physical activity are among the contributory factors.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), one-third of deaths from cancer are due to behavioural and dietary risks like high body mass index, low fruits and vegetables intake, lack of physical activity, tobacco and alcohol use.
For example, tobacco use contributes to a huge number of cancer deaths for approximately 22 per cent of cancer deaths. Approximately 70 per cent of deaths from cancer occur in low and middle income countries.
Reports show that in Tanzania, the cancer burden is on the increase but this could be because there has been an increased effort from the government and the medical community to raise awareness on the early detection of cancers, and provide more avenues for cancer screening.
This means that cases which were earlier going undetected and untreated are now being discovered and recorded.
Statistics show that patients going for follow-up care at the Ocean Road Institute in Dar es Salaam increased by 40 per cent over the last five years.
According to the Minister for Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, Ms Ummy Mwalimu, said the number of new cancer cases in the country rose to 210,000 over the past five years.
The situation is alarming and calls for swift interventions to make sure cancer patients get specialised treatment and stop relying on traditional medicines.
Regular health check-ups should be given emphasis in the society because it will lead to early detection of cancer symptoms and take appropriate health treatment.
Plus, community members should adhere to advice from health experts to avoid consumption of fast food, junk food, processed and packaged food, which can lead to obesity. This calls for people to follow an active lifestyle and exercise regularly.
