Cancer in Sudan: Challenges and Solutions

In 2008, 7.6 million cancer deaths occurred worldwide. About 60% of cancer deaths occur in low-income and middle-income countries and this number is likely to increase in the future. It is estimated that cancer kills more than a quarter of a million people each year in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region alone.
The largest increase in cancer incidence in the next 15 years is also likely to be in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, taking into account the trends for all related risk factors. The most frequent cancers in the Region are breast cancer in females, and lung and bladder cancers in males.
The projected increase in cancer can be attributed to population ageing, better detection and registration, and most importantly, to increased exposure to risk factors. The most important of these factors is tobacco consumption. Other risk factors include unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, other behavioural and lifestyle changes, pollution and increased exposure to industrial and agricultural carcinogens.
The WHO Regional Office is working closely with Member States to overcome these challenges and achieve the objectives of the regional strategy for cancer prevention and control, including palliative care.
National databases on cancer are either lacking or are not up to date in many countries of the Region. WHO is working with Member States to establish national cancer registries, in collaboration with the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).
In Sudan, experts said that Cancer control is a real challenge for developing countries especially in very large and developing country like Sudan.
With proper planning, international collaboration and good health system the cancer control initiative can reach its goals.
National support and community contribution are both indispensable to fill the gap between requirements and limited resources.
Sudan needs more than 5 new cancer centers and to be distributed fairly all over the country.
Cancer registry needs an Act from the government to accelerate this process which needs collaborative work from medical professionals, statisticians, governors and public, they said.
According to the latest WHO data published in April 2011  breast cancer deaths in Sudan  reached 1,968 or 0.53% of the total deaths .The age adjusted deaths rate is 16.31 per 100,000 of population rank Sudan 96 in the world .