Maldives has over 1,900 registered cancer patients, most of them women

Over 1,900 people registered in the National Cancer Registry as cancer patients in the last eight years, most of them women, according to information shared by the Health Protection Agency (HPA).

In a statement on occasion of World Cancer Day on Wednesday, HPA said that South Asian countries record over one million new cancer cases and over 100,000 fatalities each year.

According to a report compiled by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2020, cancer accounts for 17 percent of deaths in the Maldives.

The HPA said that over 1,900 individuals registered as cancer patients in the Maldives between 2017 and 2025.

57 percent of them were women and 43 percent men.

The most common types of cancer in the Maldives among women are breast cancer, colon cancer, lung cancer, thyroid cancer and cervical cancer, while the most common types of cancer among men are lung cancer, prostate cancer, colon cancer, stomach cancer and liver cancer.

The HPA said that as part of efforts to strengthen early detection and treatment, mammography services and cervical cancer screening services are now available from all hospitals in the country.

Research shows that 40 percent of cancers are linked to unhealthy lifestyles choices such as smoking and other avoidable factors.

Some of the common unhealthy lifestyle choices linked to cancer includes:

• Smoking or exposure to secondhand smoke
• Unhealthy diets
• Areca-nut chewing
• Lack of exercise
• Excessive body weight
• Alcohol consumption
• Exposure to ultraviolet radiation

Some of the preventive measures that can be taken against cancer includes:

• HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccination
• Avoiding smoking and secondhand smoke
• Avoiding areca-nut chewing
• Avoiding ultraviolet radiation
• Breastfeeding
• Practicing safe sex
• Including plenty of fruits and vegetables in the diet
• Exercising regularly and maintain weight at one level
• Regular cancer screenings

Cancer is a group of diseases involving uncontrolled cell growth resulting in tumors with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body.

Avoiding unhealthy lifestyle choices and doing screenings for early detection is key to reducing the risk for cancer, and will also improve the chances for remission among cancer patients.