Latest update February 17th, 2025 9:42 PM
Aug 10, 2017 News
Between 2003 and 2012 there were 6, 518 cancer cases recorded in Guyana. While the possibility exists that there could have been even more cases, the reported state of affairs suggested a cancer prevalent rate of 867 per 100,000 population.
There is dire need for sustained measures to be implemented to arrest such a prevailing trend. This was the disclosure of Dr. William Adu-Krow, the Pan American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation’s [PAHO/WHO] local representative, who amplified the need for collaborative tactics to help combat the prevalence of cancer. Dr. Adu-Krow’s disclosure was forthcoming as he addressed the opening ceremony of a Bereavement Camp being hosted by the Giving Hope Foundation for youths who have lost their loved ones to cancer and suicide.
“We need to do something about that [the cancer situation]. We need to make people aware, we need to make sure that there is screening,” said Dr. Adu-Krow as he recognised that the majority of recorded cases were in fact diagnosed at a very late stage.
But Dr. Adu-Krow underscored that the target for screening cannot only be adults, since based on the available data, “in terms of the age groups, I must say that it is bad to know that two percent of cases were children.”
Dr. Adu-Krow’s statistics were sourced from the Ministry of Public Health’s Cancer Surveillance Report, which was released in 2015. The Report, which was compiled by Dr. Morris Edwards, recorded the local cancer situation during the period 2003-2012.
“You try to solve the problem if you know what the problem is; we know what the problem is, so there is need for collaboration,” asserted Dr. Adu-Krow as he stressed the need for collaborations with entities like the Giving Hope Foundation.
The Giving Hope Foundation, which became a registered Non-Governmental Organisation [NGO] towards the end of last year, has a two-prong mission to combat both cancer and suicide. As part of its cancer prevention efforts, the NGO has been conducting outreaches during which cancer screening are conducted. The organisation has been able to screen more than 1,000 individuals over the past few months.
Given the outstanding work of the NGO, Dr. Adu-Krow noted, “If we have Giving Hope Foundation helping to do early screening so that we get these [cases] early… lots can be done” to help reduce the prevalence of cancer.
According to Dr. Adu-Krow, collaborating partners and stakeholders must continue to work together to prevent and control cancer in Guyana. For this reason, he disclosed that PAHO/WHO will continue to work with key Ministries, civil society organisations and non-governmental organisations, such as the Giving Hope Foundation, to strengthen policies and interventions aimed at reducing the incidence of cancer morbidity. “Our organisation will also support interventions aimed at improving the quality of life for cancer patients through systematic implementations of evidence based interventions, early detection, diagnosis, treatment and palliative care,” the PAHO/WHO Representative added.
At the launch of the Cancer Surveillance Report back in 2015, it was revealed that while on a global scale lung cancer was deemed the leading cause of cancer deaths, in Guyana, breast cancer was responsible for the highest number of cancer-related fatalities.
Based on the statistics of the Cancer Surveillance Report for the specified period, there were 1,090 cases of breast cancer. Following the prevalence of breast cancer was cancer of the cervix with 1,014 cases; prostate [865 cases]; colo-rectal [440 cases]; uterus [325 cases]; stomach [240 cases]; lung [233 cases]; liver [219 cases]; ovary [212 cases] and lymphoma [136 cases].
The Report was compiled using data from the Cancer Registry, which had in fact drawn its information from both public and private medical institutions. This information suggests that since access to treatment between the 2003-2012 period was near non-existent, more than half of those inflicted with the disease died.
But according to President of the Giving Hope Foundation, Dr. Latoya Gooding, based on the efforts that have since been plugged into the local cancer fight, there has been greater availability of treatment.
Dr. Adu-Krow had previously revealed that while globally it is said that 40 percent of all cancers can be prevented, 30 percent can in fact be cured. “If we have 80 percent of our cancers not having any history of having being treated, and 40 percent of all cancers can be prevented, I think it stands to reason that we have to pay more attention to prevention,” said Dr. Adu-Krow as he stressed the need for early screening and treatment. He also emphasized PAHO/WHO’s commitment to continuing to help Guyana’s effort to address the cancer situation.
Based on information released by the Public Health Ministry earlier this year, Guyana still has a high ranking in terms of cancer, with an incidence rate of 46.9 percent and a mortality rate of 21.0 per 100,000 persons. In fact, in Guyana, cervical cancer alone kills an estimated 100 women every year. This development has resulted in cervical cancer becoming the leading cause of cancer mortality among local women, according to statistics released by the Ministry this year.
The global state of affairs is farther reaching with some 530,000 new cases of cervical cancer detected annually and killing approximately 266,000 women or 50.2 per cent of the total cancer victims.
To arrest the challenge here, Public Health Minister, Ms. Volda Lawrence, is also touting earlier screening of Guyanese to help reduce the locally recorded deaths from cancers.
Minister Lawrence is worried that if the cancer related mortality trend continues, generations of Guyanese will grow up not knowing close family members.
“I not only have a message to the women, but I have a message to the men also: Your family needs you and they need you in the best of health and we want you to be able to be around for your grandchildren and great grandchildren and if possible great, great grandchildren,” Minister had passionately vocalised.
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