1,21,000 affected with cancer every year

A total of 1,21,000 people being affected with cancer every year in the country while 91,000 die of the disease, a physician told a conference in the city on Saturday.
Associate Professor of Head of Cancer Epidemiology of National Institute of Cancer Research and Hospital (NICRH) Dr Md Habibullah Talukder Ruskin said, “As many as 121,000 people are affected by cancer every year. Of them, 91000 die of cancer annually,”
Cancer treatment should be available at district level alongside introducing health insurance to bear treatment cost of the disease, he added.
Dr Habibullah said, “Treatment facilities for cancer patients are only available in Dhaka, which are increasing cost and suffering of the patients. So, we have to take initiatives to reach cancer treatment facilities to the doorsteps of the people.”
There are many easy screening methods to detect cancer disease, he said adding these methods should be used to prevent the disease.
Vice-Chancellor of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) Professor Kamrul Hasan Khan, physicians and professionals, among others, addressed the national cancer conference.
Unhealthy lifestyle is largely responsible for a rapid rise of cancer disease in the world as well as in Bangladesh, other speakers said adding early detection of cancer can save lives of the people.
They stressed on launching a massive campaign to create mass awareness among the people to prevent outbreak of the cancer diseases.