Africa Knowledge Management Portal
Informing health decisions and actions
Description
Cancer is a leading cause of death globally. The World Health Organization estimates that 7.6 million people died of cancer in 2005 and 84 million people will die in the next 10 years if action is not taken. More than 70% of all cancer deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, where resources available for prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer are limited or nonexistent. But because of the wealth of available knowledge, all countries can, at some useful level, implement the four basic components of cancer control - prevention, early detection, diagnosis and treatment, and palliative care - and thus avoid and cure many cancers, as well as palliating the suffering.