Luanda - The Vice-President of the Republic, Esperança da Costa, said on Thursday in Luanda that 959 new cases of breast cancer and 646 deaths from this disease were recorded from 2020 to 2022 across the country.
Esperança da Costa was speaking at the opening of the “Meeting of Reflection on Pink October Blue November”, which took place under the motto: “United in the Prevention against Breast and Prostate Cancer”.
“As for prostate cancer projections for Angola, in the period from 2020 to 2022, there were 646 deaths. The International Agency for Research on Cancer points out that by 2040, we will have about four thousand and 522 new cases”, she said.
According to the Vice-President, these alarming data show that it is necessary to strengthen the awareness of women and men on the subject of prevention and early diagnosis of breast and prostate cancer, as well as to strengthen the training and increase of the skills of professionals on cancer that unfortunately does not spare even children.
Cancer is a global public health problem of great concern. The numbers are frightening, with the latest projection, from 2020, by the International Agency for Research on Cancer's Globocan, pointing to a worldwide estimate of 19 million and 300 thousand new cases of cancer.
The estimate for Africa is one million 109 thousand and 209 and for Angola 20 thousand and 327 new cases.
According to this organization, the estimated mortality in the world caused by cancer is 9 million and 900 thousand deaths, of which about one million deaths are recorded for Africa.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says that cancer cases in low-income countries are expected to increase by 81% by 2040.
Angola faces a major public health challenge due to the increase in chronic non-communicable diseases, particularly cancer, mainly linked to changing lifestyles, but also to genetic factors. FMA/VIC/ADR/DOJ
