The Sunday Mail
Health Chat with Everisto Mapfidze
Coronavirus, which was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation early this week, might have ravaged across the world but it is important for the populace remain cognisant of other deadly diseases such as cancer.
Cancer recently claimed Prince Musarurwa, a young, talented and renowned afro jazz artist. Musarurwa succumbed to lung cancer on February 15, 2020.
Cancer is a disease that defies status, class, gender, race, nor demographic factors.
From prominent individuals to those who are marginalised, cancer has high morbidity and mortality rates.
Prominent figures including former President Robert Gabriel Mugabe, Morgan Tsvangirai and Tongai Moyo died because of prostate cancer, colon cancer and lymphoma respectively.
Dr Thokozani Khupe is a breast cancer survivor while Bounty Lisa, a prominent female artiste had a successful surgical removal of benign tumour on the leg.
These are just but a few prominent people who succumbed to cancer. Many in our marginalised communities have been rampaged in silence by the disease.
According to the World Health Organisation, Cancer is the second leading cause of death globally, and was responsible for an estimated 9.6 million deaths in 2018.
Approximately 70% of deaths from cancers occur in low to middle income countries.
Cancer, also called malignancy, is an abnormal growth of cells. There are more than 100 types of cancer, including breast cancer, skin cancer, lung cancer, colon cancer, prostate cancer, and lymphoma.
It can develop almost anywhere in the body.
Cells are the basic units that make up the human body. Cells grow and divide to make new cells as the body needs them.
Cancer begins when genetic changes interfere with this orderly process. Cells start to grow uncontrollably.
These cells may form a mass called a tumour. A tumour can be cancerous or benign.
A cancerous tumour is malignant, meaning it can grow and spread to other parts of the body. A benign tumour means the tumour can grow but will not spread.
As a cancerous tumour grows, the bloodstream or lymphatic system may carry cancer cells to other parts of the body.
During this process, the cancer cells grow and may develop into new tumours. This is known as metastasis.
One of the first places a cancer often spreads is to the lymph nodes. These are tiny, bean shaped organs that help fight infection.
Lymph nodes are located in clusters in different parts of the body, such as the neck, groin area, and the arms.
Cancer can also spread through the blood stream to distant parts of the body, bones, liver, lungs, or brain all included.
Risk factors can be divided into categories namely biological or internal factors such as age, inherited genetic defects, and gender and skin type.
Scientists at the Harvard School of Public Health came up with these 10 Commandments to prevent cancer.
1. Avoid smoking in all its forms, including exposure to second hand smoke.
2. Eat properly. Reduce consumption of saturated fat and red meat, which may increase the risk of prostate cancer. Increase consumption of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
3. Exercise regularly. Physical activity has been linked to a reduced risk of colon cancer. Exercise also appears to reduce a woman’s risk of breast cancer and possibly reproductive cancers.
4. Stay lean. Obesity increases the risk of many forms of cancer. Take in few calories and burn more with exercise.
5. If you choose to drink, limit yourself to an average of one drink per day. Excess alcohol increases the risk of cancers of the mouth, larynx (voice box), oesophagus, liver, and colon. It also increases a woman’s risk of breast cancer.
6. Avoid unnecessary exposure to radiation. Get medical imaging studies only when you need them. Protect yourself from ultraviolet radiation from sunlight which increases the risk of melanomas and other skin cancers.
7. Avoid exposure to industrial and environmental toxins such as asbestos fibres, benzene, and aromatic amines.
8. Make quality sleep a priority. Poor and insufficient sleep is associated with weight gain, which is a cancer risk factor.
9. Get enough vitamin D. Vitamin D may help reduce the risk of prostate cancer, colon cancer, and other malignancies.
10. Avoid infections that lead to cancer, including hepatitis viruses, HIV, and the Human Papilloma Virus. Many are transmitted sexually or through contaminated needles.
According to WHO (2007), as long as a country develops and implements a well-managed national cancer program, cancer incidence is bound to be lowered.
The organisation uses four approaches in the fight against cancer: prevention, cure, care, and management.
In an effort to achieve these goals, WHO, has facilitated the development of strategies for cancer across countries worldwide.
Cancer has increased morbidity and mortality with over 1000 deaths, and over 5000 new diagnoses per year in Zimbabwe.
Ministry of Health and Child Care and its partners in cancer control have since prioritised cancer policy and implementation of relevant advances.
Policies and curricula, among several programs and documents have been rolled out from the strategic plan. More cancer screening and diagnostic programs have also been put in place.
However, research has identified lack of training for health workers, weakness of surveillance system for cancer, limited access to treatment and care, reliance of patients on out- of -pocket funding for treatment services, and lack of backup equipment as Zimbabwe health system constraints.
Henceforth, the government must address health system constraints to treatment and care of cancer.
These include high costs of treatments and care, limited or lack of knowledge about cancer, and bad attitudes of health workers, few screening and treating centres located mostly in urban areas, lack of clear referral system, and limited screening and treating capacities in health facilities due to lack of resources.
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