By Staff Reporter
ABOUT 40% of cancer cases in Zimbabwe are HIV related coming on the back of 7 000 new cases surge recorded annually, National Aids Council of Zimbabwe (NACZ) has revealed.
The figures released by the National Aids Council provincial manager for Mashonaland West province David Nyamurera, chief executive Bernard Madzima recently show that there is a surge in cancer cases.
“Evidence has shown that people living with HIV are more likely than others to become sick with non-communicable diseases that include cancer. If untreated, people infected with both HIV and cancer are at risk of developing Aids with increased deaths,” he said.
The Health Ministry said over the past decade, a troubling acceleration in cancer cases has been witnessed, with the Zimbabwe National Cancer Registry recording doubling cases between the years 2009 to 2019.
“According to the same registry, over 7 000 new cancer cases are diagnosed annually, with women registering 40% cervical cancer and 13% breast cancer, while men have been most affected by prostate cancer, registering 28%.
“In children, cancer has also been devastating, with registered cases of 19% for Leukemia (cancer of the blood), 13% Wilms tumour (cancer of the kidney), 13% Lymphoma, 13% Soft tissue tumours and 11% central nervous system cancers,” he said.
Mombeshora also decried the human cost of the disease affecting individuals, families and communities across the country.
“It is a burden that demands urgent and sustained action as prognosis is usually poor due to limited access, delayed and detection, insufficient treatment and palliative care services,” he said.
