World cancer day: Five types of cancer which are causing health damages and fatalities in North-Kivu province.
By Prosper HERI NGORORA, 8 February 2024
Having a health system appalled by many other epidemics as Ebola and Covid-19, the North-Kivu as the rest of Democratic Republic of the Congo is facing many types of cancers. Health care providers suggest a healthy lifestyle in order to preventing this chronicle disease.
The world was celebrating on this 4th February 2024 a day against cancer, that disease caused by an uncontrolled division of abnormal cells in part of the body and spreads in other parts of the body.
According to WHO, in 2020 alone, cancer provoked 10 million of deaths in the world, being ranked among mortal diseases in modern age.
One in 5 people worldwide develop cancer during their lifetime, and one in 8 men and one in 11 women die from the disease.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo, as the rest of the world is not excluded by the presence of this dangerous disease if it is not discovered and treated early.
According to health professionals in North-Kivu, there are three types of cancer reported in Noth Kivu province, causing damages.
Lives are lost, some children are forced to grow up without their fathers and mothers, some parents haven’t known the feeling of child embrace for so long, leaving a gaping hole in thousands of hearts.
Some livelihoods are spent, economy is ruined due to cancer disease, which can be evitable, says some health care providers in Goma.
“My mother passed on due to breast cancer she got for almost 6 years. I have seen how she suffered, she wept in her last days. Sometimes, I lost all hope of seeing her to recover from this illness. We spent a lot of money, my college-year has been sacrificed so that she could get appropriate treatments” reveals Mr Moise Akili, a 20 years old boy living in Goma.
Despite all these efforts, eventually his mum gave her ghost in October 2023 after long time struggling against cancer.
However, some health specialists recommend folks to keep observing some measures, which as for them are useful to reduce even prevent cancer consequences.
Five types of cancer are regularly diagnosed in North-Kivu region, letting to complications.
“In North-Kivu, we do have cervical cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, large intestine and liver cancer” speaks out Elisabeth MISHIKA, member of clinic for early detection of cancer in Goma who says that it’s essential to improve thé health lifestyle to withstanding with cancer.
Cancer disease can be prevented at some important levels, primary level, secondary level and tertiary level.
She says that as cancer is multifactorial, there is primary prevention which aims to take some measures as avoiding or reducing alcohol, not smoking actively or passively, reduce fat intake, avoid consuming processed meat such as cold cuts take fruits and vegetables as well as whole grains, she highlights, calling on residents to make responsible decisions about their health.
Alongside, the second level of prevention is making early detection of any person who is supposed to have any type of cancer.
She warns that as soon as disease is detected, for some types of cancers, there’s chance to be treated and precancerous lesions can be fought so that they can’t progress to dangerous cancer, she emphasizes.
And finally, she underscores that the tertiary level of prevention is to pursue treatments in order to avoid complications which may happen, especially mortal risks.
Lung cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer worldwide, accounting for 12.4% of new cases and 18.7% of deaths, figures say.
Female breast cancer is the second most common form of that disease with 11% of cases, causing fewer than 7% of demises
While World health organization reveals that cancer cases will rise by more than 75% by 2050, health experts stress the urgency and necessity of taking urgent measures in order to preclude these risks which would be a threat for human health.
“As long as I’m not sick, I can never give up deli meat. You have to eat while you’re alive because we shall all die” says Marie, a 28 years old woman dwelling at Kyeshero, Goma.
Thus, DRC must make an important leap towards the struggle against cancer and preserve thousands of lives.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), non-communicable diseases (NCDs) accounted for 48% of deaths in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in 2018.
The main causes of death attributed to NCDs were cardiovascular diseases (10%) and cancer (5%)1. According to estimates from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) GLOBOCAN, some 48 839 new cancer cases among them 21 617 in men and 27 222 in women.
More than 34 412 cancer deaths: 15 571 in men and 18 841 in women occurred in 2020 alone in Democratic Republic of the Congo.
