Conference urges Africa's determined efforts against cancer on continent

The 10th edition of a continental cancer conference has kicked off in the African Union (AU) Conference Center in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa.

Speakers at the official opening of the Conference have emphasized the need to significantly invest and make determined efforts to ensure adequate medical services while creating awareness among African societies to address the problem.

The "Stop Cervical, Breast and Prostate Cancer in Africa" conference, held July 24-27, is expected to discuss lessons and strategies towards combating cancer, a non-communicable disease which is increasing at an alarming rate particularly in Africa.

The conference aims to galvanize support towards harmonized efforts to strengthen country-level programmes, initiatives and investments to end cancer in Africa.

In his opening remarks for the conference, Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn of Ethiopia reiterated that the burden of cancer in all of its forms is increasing at an alarming rate in the developing world.

Cancer is killing more people in the developing world than HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria combined, and hence the death toll is projected to rise radically, noted Desalegn.

Owing to lack of awareness in the developing world, cancers are diagnosed at an advanced stage, in which, the prime minister said treatment may often involve multiple modalities resulting in diminished chance of survival.

"The pictures are not of course all gloomy; more than 30 percent of cancer deaths could be prevented by avoiding key risk factors and following healthy lifestyle," he said.

"The available evidence suggests that result-oriented and evidence-based cancer prevention, early detection and treatment strategies play pivotal role in reducing and controlling cancer," he added.

Reiterating the need to stand firm together in one common purpose of fighting the common enemy of humanity, the Prime Minister called for strenuous efforts towards the prevention of cancer because it is the most cost effective and sustainable way of reducing the burden in the long term.

Speaking on the occasion, Mustapha Kaloko, AU Commissioner for Social Affairs, stated that various measures have been taken in the area to address and overcome the challenge.

Emphasizing the need to forge partnership, the Commissioner urged member states to significantly invest in the fight against cancer and also to engage all partners including the private sector and the civil society.

A report published in 2014 showed there were 847,000 new cases of cancer in Africa and 591,000 deaths in 2012, representing 6 percent and 7.2 percent of the world total, respectively.

It further warned that annual cancer cases and deaths were likely to increase by 70 percent by 2030 if the continent remained without determined move in combating the problem. Endit