The Impact of Cancer In Cameroon(Updated 16th September)

"February 01, 2009: ARA Champions the fight against Cancer in Cameroon

ARA has signed an agreement with the Cameroon National Cancer Control program to sensitize/educate Cameroonians on Cancer and Cancer prevention, and provide Palliative care to Cancer patients in Cameroon."

"According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a cancer epidemic is brewing in Africa.

There is no cancer treatment available in many regions for the 650,000 documented Africans who develop cancer annually, resulting in about 510,000 deaths —almost 80% of all cancer cases in Africa. By 2020 Africa will account for more than one million new cancer cases a year, and they are the least able of all developing countries to cope, having few cancer care services.

1 Lack of resources and basic infrastructure means that most Africans have no access to cancer screening, early diagnosis, treatment or palliative care.

2 In fact according to the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) millions of cancer victims in developing countries lack access to life-saving radiotherapy and other forms of treatment, with at least $2.5 billion needed to provide adequate treatment facilities, half to purchase machines, and half to train the physicians and physicists required to ensure safe and effective treatment.

Life-saving radiotherapy is available in only 21 of Africa’s 53 countries, or to less than 20% of the population, and consequently cancer is often a sentence to a painful and distressing death. Also, basic, epidemiologic and interventional research are relevant to caring for cancer patients, and each can, at least in principle, be carried out in Africa. Yet research capacity, mentorship and resources are lacking. Even more disheartening is that over one third of cancer deaths are due to preventable causes such as viral infection, poor nutrition and widespread tobacco use. Breast Cancer and Uterine Cancer are the most prevalent in Cameroonin women(about 33% and 24 %, respectively). In men, prostate cancer and liver cancer dominate."



"Cameroon has only two Cancer treatment centers. University of Yaounde I, Cameroon is the leading university in Cameroon and harbors one of the 2 Cancer treatment centers. For a population of over 16 million, one medical physicist, 10 pathologists and 3 cytotechnicians.

Cancer surveillance is not well organized in Cameroon. Most cancer related deaths are neither reported nor recorded. The majority of cancer patients go for consultation only at an advanced stage of the disease. Ignorance, local beliefs and poverty influence the behavior of patients.

Traditional healers, medical and paramedical staff who, for financial or other reasons, insist on treating cancer patients even though they lack the required expertise, thus delay referral to the limited facilities. The limited number of personnel trained in oncology is further compounded by the lack of enthusiasm on the part of young medical officers and nursing staff for oncology. These limiting factors confirm the urgency of getting assistance for the cancer control program in Cameroon by empowering the university of Yaounde I.

The political will to reverse the current trend of affairs is in no doubt. This political commitment is evidenced by the provision for cancer control in the National Health Development Program, its inclusion in the Health Sector Strategy, the re-organization of the National Cancer Control Committee (NCCC) as well as the appointment of its officials."

ARA Champions the fight against Cancer in Cameroon

Prostate Cancer in Cameroon


I have added Cameroon to the main database found under the month of April under the title of Global Health