AT the launching of the ‘10-Year Cancer Surveillance Report 2015’ yesterday, it was reported that Guyana has recorded 6,518 new cases of cancer for the period 2003-2012, for an overall cumulative incidence rate of 867.7 per 100,000 populations.Speaking yesterday at the launching at Herdmanston Lodge, Minister of Public Health, Dr. George Norton disclosed that this is a ground-breaking publication which would be used to strengthen

the fight against cancer.
Meanwhile, cancer cases are on the rise in the world, as it was recorded worldwide that there were 14 million new cases of cancer, with 8.2 million arising in 2012, and cases are expected to rise by 2 million in the space of two years. And 70% of deaths by cancer occurs in developing countries, therefore, there ought to be a comprehensive cancer prevention and control programme in Guyana.
Proper data collection is one of the areas that need to be addressed in order to develop a prevention and control programme.
Apart from that, Minister Norton noted that “smoking is a key contributor towards cancer (lung cancer) as well as excessive alcohol consumption and lack of physical fitness which contributes to obesity.”
These are all matters, he said, that are to be addressed if they intend to reduce the cases of cancer. His first step, being a fitness enthusiast himself, is to urge persons to join in his crusade of promoting physical activities in schools and in the work environment.
He also issued the challenge to young professionals, encouraging them to follow in the footsteps of senior officials within the health sector by producing quality work.
Meanwhile in his remarks, representative from the Pan American Health Organisation and World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO), Dr. William Adu-Krow made reference to the fact that Latin America has the most recorded cancer cases in the world.
In their efforts to reduce this, Dr. Adu-Krow said that they will be focusing on four key areas, namely programmatic support for VI screening, policy and advocacy, and strengthening the surveillance system which 50% of Caribbean countries fail to do by not developing proper programmes and screening.
This, he noted, will take some time to develop in Guyana but along with the Ministry of Public Health and other health sector stakeholders they will work towards that objective.
In his presentation to members of the gathering, the person who developed the report, Director of Disease Control in the Ministry of Public Health, Dr. Morris Edwards disclosed that they intend to raise awareness of cancer and stimulate interest in advocacy for improved cancer prevention treatment and control.
The report, he added, would give the Government an idea of how they should segment their outreaches and tackle the various cancers in sections.
STATS
Further outlining the statistics, Dr. Edwards disclosed that out of the 6,518 recorded cases, 3,956 (60.7%) were females and 2,561 (39.3%) were males, giving a female to male ratio of 1.54; while the mean age of females was 55.4 years and 62.2 for males, as the cumulative incidence rate for females was 1,054.4 while for males it was 681.
“Nearly one-fifth (1,268) of cancers were in persons older than 75 years of age; the second most affected age group were persons aged 15-39 years with 597 (11%) of cancers, while persons aged 55-59 years, 50-54, 65-69 years had 10.0% of cancers respectively and the paediatric age group (age less than 15 years) had 2% of all recorded cancers,” he said.
LEADING CANCER SITES
Additionally, the top three leading cancer sites included the breast which was the most common site of cancer recorded in the period with 1,090 (16.7%) cases and a cumulative rate of 290/100,000 population followed by the cervix uteri 1,014 (15.6%) and rate of 135 and prostate 865 (13.3%) and a rate of 230.
There was an almost equal distribution of cases by status with slightly more persons dead than alive. 3,098 (47.4%) of recorded cases were alive while 3,415 (52.4%) were dead, as the represented accumulative crude mortality rate of 454.6 per 100,000 population.
As the vast majority (5,155/6,518) of persons had no record of any treatment received, with 7.5% (491) receiving surgery, 7.3% (479) receiving radiotherapy and 5.8% (341) receiving chemotherapy. Only 13 (2%) of recorded cases had hormone therapy.
In order to tackle the treatment issues, Dr. Edwards stated that they need better cancer treatment and control programmes to ensure that better services are offered.