On 4 February, the World Health Organization joins advocates globally in commemorating World Cancer Day. 2020 marks the midpoint of the “I am and I will” three-year campaign, calling on individuals, groups, communities and leaders, to take action against cancer to prevent millions of premature deaths.
Globally, one in five people are diagnosed with cancer before the age of 75, and the incidence continues to rise as life expectancy increases and patterns of disease change. The cancer burden in the African Region is projected to increase from over one million new cases in 2018 to over two million cases by 2040. In sub-Saharan Africa, deaths from cancer have increased by 13% since 2012, accounting for 506 568 deaths in 2018.
The most prevalent cancers are cervical, breast, liver and prostate and together these caused over one third of all cancer deaths in the African Region in 2018. Africa bears the highest burden of cervical cancer among WHO regions and outcomes for children with cancer are among the worst in the world – the most common cancers in children are leukaemia and non-Hodgkin lymphomas. In too many countries, access to early screening and treatment is limited, particularly for children, women and older people. Low immunization coverage and risk factors, such as harmful alcohol use, are also key contributors to the Region’s cancer burden.
At WHO, we are working with governments and partners to improve the availability of medicines and technologies, and to build capacities among health workers and communities to prevent cancer and care for patients. Governments are integrating cancer interventions into national strategies, health benefits packages and social insurance schemes as part of efforts to achieve universal health coverage and the Sustainable Development Goals target 3.4 on reducing premature mortality from noncommunicable diseases.
We are seeing progress in several countries. Botswana, Kenya, Mauritius, Rwanda and Seychelles have expanded the coverage and range of services available for cancer prevention and care in the public sector. Eleven countries have introduced the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine to prevent cervical cancer and 27 countries are implementing demonstration projects towards national introduction. This year, the World Health Assembly will consider the WHO global strategy towards the elimination of cervical cancer as a public health problem, which sets clear goals to improve well-being among women and their families through vaccination, screening, treatment and palliative care.
Ghana and Zambia have started implementing the WHO Global initiative on Childhood Cancer, which aims to double the survival rate for children with cancer by 2030 (reaching a target of at least 60% survival) and saving one million lives. Learning from implementation in the two pilot countries, we will scale the programme to other countries in the Region. To address risk factors for cancer, such as tobacco use and obesity, 45 countries have ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and Seychelles and South Africa have increased taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages.
Building on these gains, we need to accelerate action to prevent cancer and ensure people have access to early screening and people-centred care. In the spirit of the “I am and I will” campaign, as Regional Director, I will advocate to protect people from financial hardship caused by the cost of cancer care. I call on governments to continue improving cancer services, building capacities, and strengthening surveillance systems to better understand cancer burdens and trends. Finally, I ask all individuals and communities for your support to overcome the stigma that surrounds cancer, by encouraging family members and friends to seek early screening, treatment and care.