BSS, Dhaka

Thu Jan  2022 

Women in Bangladesh have been suffering from different types of cancers, one of the leading causes of death in Bangladesh at present, more than men.

A recent study found that out of the total cancer patients surveyed, 59.5 percent are women and 40.5 are men.

Women are also more likely to get cancer at an early age than men.

According to the study, in last one year, 1,50,071 people have been diagnosed with cancer in Bangladesh and 1,08,138 of them died.

Among the cancer patients, 84.8 percent are adults and 25.2 percent are children while 31.9 percent women have been suffering with cancers of reproductive system.

Besides, out of the male patients, 10.2 percent have urinary bladder cancer, 9.9 percent prostate cancer and 7.5 percent oral cancer while among females, 23.3 percent are affected by breast cancer, 21.5 percent by cervical cancer and 7.9 percent by oral cancer.

In another study conducted on 1,657 people based on hospital cancer registry found that nearly 75 percent of the patient are adults while cancer among girls are being diagnosed from the age of 15, among males the age is 20.

Health Directorate officials said Bangladesh has a unique National Cancer Control Strategy and Plan of Action 2009-2015 formulated with the assistance of WHO with an objective to develop and implement continuum of cancer care through a comprehensive cancer control programme.

Preventive measures have been taken to reduce the incidence of cancer include reduced smoking, change of dietary habit and reduced food adulteration, ensuring reproductive hygiene, increased physical activity, and reduced occupational hazard.

Awareness buildup and media campaign are going on by organising the public, opinion leaders of the society, and scouts.

Health experts said cancer is predicted to be an increasingly important cause of morbidity and mortality in Bangladesh in the next few decades as the current estimated incidence of 12.7 million new cancer cases would rise to 21.4 million by 2030.

In Bangladesh, they said, there is a severe shortage of trained oncologists and physicists while oncopathology and cytopathology skills need to be enhanced for better delivery of cancer care.

Technical staff for tissue diagnosis and imaging modalities also needs to be developed, they observed.

According to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), two teletherapy machines and one brachytherapy machine are needed for one million population.

According to this estimation, Dhaka city alone needs 20 and the entire country needs around 300 teletherapy (radiotherapy) machines respectively.

However, in Bangladesh there are 17 radiotherapy centres in public and private sectors; only one is situated in a rural area