Brazzaville, 30 August 2007 -- Cancer is emerging as a public health problem in sub-Saharan Africa where 582 ,000 new cases of the deadly disease were notified in 2002 , according to WHO Regional Director for Africa , Dr Luis Sambo.

In a today report to the fifty-seventh session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa taking place in Brazzaville , Congo , Dr Sambo expressed the concern that “most countries in Africa do not have the satisfactory infrastructure and facilities for cancer therapy , chemotherapy and radiotherapy”.

The Regional Director stated that the lack of equipment for the management of cancer in Africa was compounded by an acute shortage of cancer experts and pathologists. “These shortages call for the establishment of programmes for cancer experts such as pathologists for diagnosis, oncologists for treatment, and oncology nurses for care”, he said.

In 2002 , 412 ,100 people in sub-Saharan Africa died of cancer and it is projected that if no interventions are put in place by 2020 , the number of new cancer cases will be 804 ,000 and the number of deaths due to the disease will be 626 ,400.

Dr Sambo advised that due to the inaccessibility to appropriate health care technology, and delays in seeking care by cancer patients, one of the most appropriate approach for African countries is to ensure that palliative care was made available to cancer patients.

Cancer control is the public health action designed to reduce the incidence of and mortality due to cancer and improve the quality of life of patients through the systematic implementation of evidence-based strategies for prevention, early detection, diagnosis and treatment, and palliative care.

For more information contact:

Technical contact

Dr Jean-Marie Dangou

Tel: + 47 241 39344

Email: dangouj [at] afro.who.int

Media Contact

Samuel T. Ajibola

Tel: + 47 241 39378

Email: ajibolas [at] afro.who.int