‘Cancer cases rising’

ABOUT 8,500 new cancer cases are recorded in Zimbabwe every year, signalling an
increase in the cases, a report has shown.

In its latest report, the Zimbabwe National Cancer Registry noted that in 2018, the
country recorded 7 841 new cancer cases and 2 743 cancer deaths.

According to the Zimbabwe National Cancer Registry, cervical cancer contributes
around 38 percent to the total cancer burden among women, which is very
significant.

Cancer Association of Zimbabwe (CAZ) Information Research and Evaluation
Officer, Lovemore Makurirofa, said most cancer cases were being diagnosed at later
stages.

“The situation is very worrying in that 80 percent of all the cancer cases are being
diagnosed at stages three and four, so there is late-stage diagnosis,” he said.
“I think in Zimbabwe, patients are reporting very late at health institutions. This might
be as a result of a number of reasons: maybe they try to visit traditional healers and
so forth before they come to the hospital, and then the cost at the hospital is also a
hindrance.

“It’s not only the cost of treatment, which is high, but also the diagnosis, because you
need to be able to afford the scans, you need to afford the biopsies, and so forth,
and a lot of people cannot afford these scans and biopsies. So, it’s also an area that
requires consideration.

“One can pay for a scan, then they go back and try and look for some financial
resources, then they come again. Maybe after two or three months, they want to pay
for a biopsy.

“That means that cancer will be diagnosed very late and this is the reason why 80
percent of all the cancers in Zimbabwe are diagnosed very late because there is less
affordability.”

Makurirofa said there were three treatment options available in Zimbabwe, the
primary modalities being chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery.

Makurirofa said there were other cancers like colon and rectal cancers which were
also on the increase.