HPA: 72 percent of cancer patients in Maldives are women

Health Protection Agency (HPA) said that the age group of cancer patients in the country has gone down with younger people becoming victims, and that 72 percent of all cancer patients in the country are made up of women.

HPA released a statement on Wednesday in which they said that the average age group of cancer patients in the country was 41 – 50 years. And that 72 percent of cancer patients in the country were women.

“Maldives Demographic and Health Survey conducted in 2009 shows that 72 percent of cancer patients in Maldives were women. And 28 percent were men. Most common types of cancer found in the country are lung cancer, breast cancer, cervical cancer and oral cancer,” read the statement.

HPA said that the causes of cancer were related to lifestyle choices.

“Smoking, inadequate diet, lack of exercise, passive smoking, delay in age of marriage, not breast feeding, and chewing areca nuts can all lead to cancer,” read the statement.

HPA advised that people adopt better lifestyle choices in order to prevent getting cancer.

Cancer is one of the leading causes for death in the world. 14 million people are diagnosed with cancer each year, with one million dying from it.