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About Cancer
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Background:
The term cancer is used generically for more than 100 different
diseases including malignant tumors of different sites such as
breast, cervix, prostate, stomach, colon/rectum, lung, mouth,
leukemia, sarcoma of bone, Hodgkin disease, and non-Hodgkin
lymphoma. Cancer is profoundly associated with social and economic
status. Cancer risk factors are highest in groups with the least
education. In addition, patients in the lower social strata have
consistently poorer survival rates than those in the higher ones.
Most of the diseases are also common in Bangladesh.
World Situation of Cancer
There are over 20 million people living with cancer in the world
today. The majority lives in the developing world. Cancer is
spreading so fast that each of us will be touched either as a
patient, a family member or a friend. Cancer, evoking such
desperation that it has become a metaphor for grief and pain, a
scourge straining our intellectual and emotional resources. The
world still conjures up deep fears of a silent killer that creeps up
on us without warning.
Tobacco has been identified as the single largest preventable cause
of cancer in the world today; it is responsible for about 30% of all
cancer deaths in developed countries and a rapidly rising proportion
in developing countries in the underprivileged community. It is the
only consumer product available which kills half its regular users.
Situation of Cancer in Bangladesh:
With the increase of the incidence of Cancer in the country, it has
become a matter of serious concern for Bangladesh. Although definite
figures about the incidence of cancer is not available in
Bangladesh, it is estimated that there are around 800,000 cancer
patients in the country and about 200,000 new cases are being added
every year. Around 150,000 cancer patients die annually. These
figures, according to Bangladesh Cancer Society, translate to:
- A prevalence rate of 7.10 per 1,000 persons
- An incidence rate of 1.8 per 1,000 persons
- A mortality rate of 1.3 per 1,000 persons as compared to an
overall crude death rate of 4.8 per 1,000 persons
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