Support World Cancer Day today

The focus is on cancer awareness and how to encourage cancer prevention, early detection and effective treatment.

There are so many myths out there that focus on the inability to talk about cancer; that there are no signs or symptoms of cancer; there is nothing to be done about it; and that people do not have the right to cancer care. The Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) has focussed its 2014 campaign on debunking these myths - www.uicc.org/world-cancer-day-2014-debunk-myths.

Global focus on early detection

The global focus is on cancer awareness and early diagnosis. This would result in a reduction of the cancer incidence rate significantly but requires a systematic approach by government and political will to ensure that cancer remains a priority disease. According to Salomé Meyer, executive committee member of the Cancer Alliance, lumping cancer with NCDs in South Africa, as a programme intervention, will not necessarily allow for a focussed approach that cancer necessitates.

According to the latest report released by the National Cancer Registry (NCR) - www.nioh.ac.za - 55 126 new histologically cases were reported for 2006. This figure does not reflect the true figure of cancer incidence as the NCR is only a pathology-based registry and does not contain all the information from the private sector. A new regulation was passed in 2011, which requires medical doctors and health facilities that confirm cancer cases, to report their findings to the NCR.

"This system is still in the process of being implemented," says Francois Peenz, executive committee member. "This therefore does not allow for the measurement of the true cancer burden in South Africa. This impacts negatively on proper planning of cancer services across the cancer continuum in South Africa."

Call to action

In November 2013, linked to the UICC World Leaders Summit in Cape Town, the Cancer Alliance delivered a strong call to action, focussing on all stakeholders. Cancer is a complex disease that requires multiple treatment modalities being used to develop an individualised treatment plan for each individual. This makes it a costly disease to manage. In addition, in South Africa, where the prevalence of HIV/AIDS and TB is high, there should be added focus on co-morbidity prevalence.

The Call to Action focussed on four key areas that needed urgent attention. The current state of cancer is:

1. There are no accurate, current statistics on the cancer incidence and mortality in South Africa. We therefore cannot determine our efficacy in respect of early diagnosis and treatment outcomes and we cannot plan effectively for cancer services across the cancer continuum.
   
2. There is no adopted and updated National Cancer Control Plan for South Africa; the process has stalled since 2008.
   
3. Cancer diagnosis and treatment services are not rendered on an equitable basis in South Africa. There is a disparity between provinces and between private and public health care.
   
4. Cancer care specialists and health care professionals are not trained adequately to identify and detect the early warning signs of cancer in children and adults.
   

Alliance members

The Cancer Alliance is a collective group of cancer control non-profit organisations and cancer advocates brought together under a common mandate as result of the May 2011 Voice of Cancer Survivor Forum, a platform which allowed cancer survivors to express their needs regarding access to quality of care, attitudes, practices, policies of cancer control and services in South Africa.

• amaBele Belles
  
• Brain Tumour Foundation South Africa
  
• Breast Health Foundation
  
• Cause Marketing Fundraisers
  
• Campaigning for Cancer
  
• Can-Sir
  
• Cancer Buddies
  
• CHOC Childhood Cancer Foundation
  
• Hospice Palliative Care Association South Africa
  
• IGAZI Foundation
  
• Journey of Hope
  
• Look Good Feel Better
  
• National Council Against Smoking
  
• National Kidney Foundation of South Africa
  
• People Living With Cancer
  
• Pink Trees
  
• Reach for Recovery
  
• Sinomusanothando Community Development
  
• The Sunflower Fund
  
• The Vrede Foundation
  
• S.J. Meyer
  
• C.C. Green

Support World Cancer Day by debunking the myths and stigmas surrounding cancer, raising our collective voices in the name of improving our general knowledge around cancer and dismissing misconceptions about the disease. For more information, go to www.canceralliance.co.za or follow CancerAllianceZA on Twitter @Cancer_ZA.