Cape Verde cancer association calls for early screening
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Expresso das Ilhas
The Cape Verdean Association for the Fight Against Cancer calls for stronger prevention and early screening, particularly for breast, cervical and prostate cancers. The country records an estimated 60 to 70 new breast cancer cases each year, according to its president quoted by Inforpress.
José Benvindo Lopes, president of the Cape Verdean Association for the Fight Against Cancer, called for early screening and prevention, saying that access to health services remains a challenge, according to the Inforpress news agency. He was speaking at an awareness walk in Cape Verde as part of the Pink October campaign.
During October, the association held conferences, screening sessions on the islands of Fogo and Brava, and visits to cancer patients. José Benvindo Lopes said breast cancer is among the cancers that affect and kill the most women in the country, while prostate cancer is the leading cause of cancer and cancer-related mortality among men.
According to Globocan projections cited by the association’s president, Cape Verde records between 60 and 70 new cases of breast cancer each year. He said these figures are not the most recent data compiled. Cases are also seen in people younger than the age groups in which these cancers are most common: over 50 for breast cancer and over 40 for prostate cancer.
José Benvindo Lopes also raised geographical and financial obstacles to care and diagnosis, as well as myths and taboos that hinder prevention. He called for cancers to be detected at an early stage, saying that many can then be cured, Inforpress reports.
