Durban — According to Statistics SA, cervical cancer incidence and mortality rates were highest among black African women between 2008 and 2019, likely due to late diagnosis or the high burden of HIV in this population group.
The data covered the number of people diagnosed with cancer, as well as those who died from cancer between these years.
StatsSA revealed that some groups were at a higher risk of cancer than others due to comorbidities or unequal access to treatment.
The report stated that HIV-positive women were much more likely to develop cervical cancer than women without HIV.
“Nearly all cases of cervical cancer are due to human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. The sustained rollout of HPV vaccination is therefore important to protect adolescent females from infection of the HPV virus. Cervical cancer can also be prevented by regular pap smears to detect early changes on the cervix that might become cervical cancer if not treated appropriately. In resource-constrained areas the Department of Health recommends alternative screening tests that do not require laboratory facilities,” read the report.
It said the highest number of cancers diagnosed among men were prostate, colorectal, lung and non-melanoma skin cancers. Among women, breast, cervical, colorectal and non-melanoma skin cancers were the most commonly diagnosed.
“Between 2008 and 2019, white females had the highest incidence of breast cancer. Their mortality rates, however, were almost the same as those of coloured females. This suggests that, while coloured females had lower incidence rates, they were diagnosed at more advanced stages, possibly due to poor access to screening, treatment and inadequate knowledge of the signs and symptoms of breast cancer,” the report said.
StatsSA added that white men had the highest prostate cancer incidences, followed by coloured men, while black African and Indian/ Asian men had lower and almost the same rates. They said coloured men had the highest mortality rates followed by black African men. This again reflects differences in access to early detection and treatment between population groups.
The report said t white men had the highest colorectal incidence rates followed by Indian/Asian and coloured men. Black African men had the lowest incidence rates. White men also had the highest colorectal cancer mortality rates followed by Indian/Asian and coloured males, with black African men experiencing the lowest mortality rates.
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