Health Official Notes Rise in Iraq Cancer Cases

Text of interview with Dr Ahmad Jasim Waliy, director of the Executive Bureau of the Cancer Council in Iraq by Shayma al- Jash’ami in Baghdad; date not given, headlined “Dr Waliy to Al- Furat: cancer cases witnessed tangible rise in recent years”, carried by Iraqi newspaper Al-Furat on 2 May

Cancer is one of the most serious inveterate diseases that have spread worldwide. Thus, several institutions and organizations work in different directions to combat it, and large sums of money have been assigned for this purpose.

Cancer rate in Iraq is still lower than it is in the West. However, cancer cases have witnessed a rise in the last two years of the last century and their effects on society have exacerbated with deterioration in the citizens’ health, social, and living conditions due to the wars and subsequent destruction of the infrastructure during the blockade period.

Al-Furat met with Dr Ahmad Jasim Waliy cancer specialist and director of the Executive Bureau of the Cancer Council in the Health Ministry. He spoke to us about the ministry’s plans for the elimination of this disease and its dangerous effects and the methods of protection from it. He said:

Actually, cancer is a number of diseases and not just one. These diseases usually appear in a certain part of the body and then spread out causing health hazards. There are several factors that cause the appearance, development, and spread of this disease. Some of these factors are internal; that is, in the patient himself, and others external or environmental. One internal factor is the inheritance of the disease. Interaction between the internal and external factors is what causes a defect in a certain organ of the body on the cellular level, leading to the spread of cancer. The factors causing cancer operate individually or collectively and the substances that cause the disease are called carcinogens.

It is possible to divide the external factors causing cancer into three basic groups: Physiological factors, including radioactive materials; chemical factors, including chemical substances such as Fini [as published] Chloride; and biological factors, which cancer some time after their appearance, such as viral hepatitis (type B or C), which causes cancer of the liver.

There are also other factors such as smoking and nutritious substances that exist in food that could lead to cancer. One’s lifestyle could also be a cause of cancer, such as lack of exercise leading to obesity, wrong feeding habits, and taking of alcohol. Other causes also are a rise in the ratio of fat, especially animal fat, and small intake of fruits, vegetables, and legumes.

There are also other internal factors such as a disturbance of the hormones, a defect in the immunity system in the body, and chemical substances. All these are factors that could increase the possibility of the disease. The tumours are of two types: Benign tumours, which do not spread to other parts of the body, and therefore are of a limited effect; that is, they are confined to one area only; and malignant tumours, which spread to other parts of the body, whether directly or through the blood or lymph.

As we said, cancer is a number of diseases. It spreads worldwide affecting approximately 10 million people annually, of whom 6 million die of the disease according to World Health Organization statistics. There are now 22 million people suffering from cancer worldwide.

The statistics of the Health Council in the Health Ministry show that 14,000 cases of malignant cancer were reported in the year 2002, compared to 11,000 in the year 2000, and less than 7,000 in 1988. These are estimated at two thirds of the actual cases that exist in Iraq due to the existence of cases that have not been documented by the Health Ministry, either due to lack of data on patients that are being treated in some private health sectors or abroad, or cases that were discovered too late and led to death in a short period of time.

[Al-Jash'ami] What about breast cancer?

[Waliy] Breast cancer is the most widespread form of cancer in Iraq, followed by cancer of the lung, cancer of the trachea, cancer of the bladder, cancer of the lymphatic glands, cancer of the blood (leukaemia), cancer of the colon, and cancer of the rectum.

Health services had deteriorated under the former regime due to neglect and damage, especially during the blockade period. There are only two hospitals specializing in the treatment of cancer: The Radiation and Nuclear Medicine Hospital in Baghdad, which is the main centre for treatment of cancer, and a hospital in Mosul for treatment of tumours. This is in addition to several other clinics that provide chemical treatment for cancer in the main hospitals of Baghdad, Basra, Babil, and Al-Najaf.

[Al-Jash'ami] What are your measures and plans for combating cancer?

[Waliy] The Health Council is trying in cooperation with the ministry’s other departments to combat cancer on several levels. Intensive efforts are being exerted to overcome the main hurdles represented by shortage of treatment supplies – chemicals, radiation, and immunization – diagnosis supplies, and medical and technical staff. The council’s efforts are currently devoted to working out an integrated future plan for the national programme to control cancer. It is hoped that its phases will be carried out and its activities will be expanded with the improvement of conditions and the provision of the necessary supplies.

Efforts are centred on three main fronts: Rehabilitation and development of existing services, such as repairing and building hospitals and centres and providing basic services, including diagnosis and treatment supplies as well as drugs; implementation of a plan, which is part of the programme for the control of cancer in cooperation with the health department in the ministry and the World Health Organization. Development and streamlining of registration procedures and medical documentation for cancer and carrying out important phases in the programme to discover cancer of the breast, cancer of the cervix, cancer of the colon, and cancer of the rectum. This is in addition to spreading health awareness on cancer and its dangerous effects, methods of protection, and health styles.

This is considered the first plan of its type by its activities and comprehensiveness. It will be implemented in all governorates. It will also include preparation of studies, proposals, and plans for the establishment of new hospitals and diagnosis centres for early discovery of cancer according to the latest world specifications, whether in the diagnosis or treatment. There will also be efforts to open pain treatment clinics in Baghdad and the governorates.

The council is a higher institution in Iraq in charge of all activities for combating tumours in Iraq. It is headed by the health minister and includes among its members a team of leading specialists in the different medical fields related to cancel. The council has an Executive Bureau composed of six scientific branches in the fields of registration, protection, early discovery, diagnosis, treatment, and pain relief, as well as research.

The council coordinates with several ministry departments and strives to ensure support for its programme through contacts with world institutions in the advanced countries, such as the International Federation for Combating Cancer, the American Cancer Institute, the International Agency for Combating Cancer, and others to ensure an Iraq free of cancerous tumours.