DURBAN - The Cancer Association of SA (Cansa) and the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) have called on everyone to use their influence to support this World Cancer Day, themed Close The Care Gap.
World Cancer Day, commemorated annually on February 4, is a global uniting initiative led by the UICC which was created in the year 2000 to raise the profile of cancer in a positive and inspiring way.
According to the reports, over the next 10 years it’s projected that cancer deaths will increase to more than 14 million a year. Unless greater effort is put into altering the course of the disease, this number is expected to double to close to 30 million by 2040.
In 2019, the National Cancer Registry revealed that cancer remained the fifth main cause of mortality in South Africa, where 85 102 new cancer cases were diagnosed, 43 811 of which were women while 41 491 were men.
In women, breast and cervical cancers accounted for 23.22% and 15.85% of the cancers respectively, while prostate cancer accounted for 25% of the cancers reported in men.
Cansa said that their three-year campaign called for action to address the issues of unfair access to cancer services, with an intention to promote greater equity in health-care provision for all people affected by cancer, no matter who they are or where they live.
Cansa CEO Elize Joubert said: “Cancer patients in our country may have a very different experience regarding access to cancer screening services, receiving timeous diagnoses, cancer treatment and support, depending on their socio-economic status and where they live. This may lead to wide differences in the risks of developing and surviving cancer. This gap needs to be overcome and Cansa is tirelessly working towards reducing this inequity.”
According to Joubert, early detection is key to overcoming a cancer diagnosis. However, she said people in remote areas did not always have access to information on how to lower their cancer risk or on cancer screening.
“Many patients can’t afford transport to, or accommodation near, treatment centres and live far away. Our Cansa Care Homes meet their needs by providing a home-away-from-home, including meals and transport, making treatment possible for patients who would otherwise not be able to receive it. And our Cansa TLC Lodges accommodate parents of children receiving treatment, providing families with food and care packages to help them cope with the costs associated with treatment,” she said.
Professor Vikash Sewram, director and professor at the African Cancer Institute in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at Stellenbosch University, said the gap was multifaceted and needed to be addressed at an individual, health facility and governmental level.
He said the unified response was mandatory to ensure “timely and impactful care” for patients, with everyone playing a role in ensuring its success.
“Unfortunately, cancer patients face huge barriers in the cancer continuum, and this impacts on timely diagnosis and treatment. Individuals face geographical, economic, and societal barriers,” said Sewram.
He said strong will from the government to support greater funding of infrastructure for cancer care, human capacity and treatment modalities could avoid the delays in treating the patients.
“Health system-related barriers, such as lack of increased awareness among health-care workers to detect cancer early, especially at the primary care level, and a lack of an efficient and timely referral for testing and diagnosis, lead to needless delays in treatment. Hence efficient patient care pathways are key for patients to ensure delays are minimised and that patients are referred promptly for appropriate services along the cancer care pathway,” said Sewram.
Daily News