Screening deal could boost fight against cancer
Published:Wednesday | February 3, 2021 | 12:25 AMNadine Wilson-Harris/Staff Reporter
The promotion of screening will be a major priority for health officials for World Cancer Day on February 4, but services like mammograms are still not available in the public sector and the cost at private facilities remains prohibitive for low-income women.
Acting director of the Non-Communicable Disease and Injury Prevention Unit at the Ministry of Health & Wellness, Dr Nicola Skyers, is acutely aware that poor women may be disproportionately at risk for breast cancer because they cannot afford mammograms.
But a partnership with the International Atomic Energy Agency could change that reality in the short to medium term, said Skyers, particularly for cervical and breast cancer.
“We are still very early in the discussions, so will need to be a little bit more [time] to see how soon they would be able to provide that support to us, so I wouldn’t want to give that commitment at this time,” she said when pressed for a timeline.
Currently, it cost about $7,000 to have a mammogram done privately. Individuals may also undergo the examination at the Jamaica Cancer Society for $4,500.
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including cancers, result in 70 per cent of deaths in Jamaica. Breast cancer is the most common among Jamaican women, while prostate cancer is prevalent among men.
“Overall, prostate cancer is the most common cancer,” said Skyers, adding that it is also the most common cause of cancer-related deaths.
STILL REFINING
The long-awaited National Cancer Registry, which is expected to be an important step in the fight to beat NCDs, was finally launched in 2018. However, it could be a while before data generation becomes operational.
“We have had some kinks, but we are trying to work those out to ensure that we have that in place to provide us with the necessary data so we can manage the programmes accordingly,” Skyers told The Gleaner on Monday.
The most recent cancer data available are for 2018, when there were 974 new cases of breast cancer; 1,309, prostate cancer; 486, cervical cancer; and 953, colorectal cancer.
A series of public-education activities and virtual events are planned for World Cancer Day, which will be held under the theme ‘Together, All Our Actions Matter – I am and I Will’.
Screening outreach will be a central part of this year’s commemoration, and the health ministry has partnered with health service providers to offer screening at discounted rates islandwide.