Are Cancer Cases Really up in Georgia?
The Georgian National Statistics Office (Geostat) says around 10,000 new cases of cancer are seen in Georgia every year, while last year 6,819 cancer patients died in the country of the disease.
The doctors claim the cases of cancer have significantly increased of late, adding that the number of Georgian patients who go abroad for tumor treatment is also up.
Nana Metreveli, a doctor who works at the Iashvili children’s hospital in Tbilisi, says the statistics of recent years of oncological diseases is “alarming”. According to her, malignant brain tumors have become more common in children than was the case several years ago.
“The cases of cancer in children have increased. It is directly linked with the environment in which our children live and the products they eat,” she added.
Marina Berekashvili, who has worked in a Turkish clinic as a coordinator for seven years, says that there has been a “dramatic increase” in the number of Georgian patients who address Turkish clinics for treatment.
“An increase was observed over the last two years. Where, before, we had 20-25 Georgian patients, in the last 5-6 months this number has gone up to 65-70,” she told Rustavi 2. “Nearly every family in Georgia has at least one oncological patient and it means something is really wrong,” she added.
In parallel with ecological problems in Georgia, the specialists say one of the main challenges is the increased lead in some products. They also call on the state to check construction material qualities in new block of flats, adding some of them may contain dangerous substances that pose a threat to the health of the people living there.
The National Center for Disease Control and Public Health states that the increased tumor cases are not caused by the rate of the disease itself, but due to the regulation of its registration.
Amiran Gamkrelidze, Head of Disease Control Center, claims the statistics are not alarming in Georgia, adding the increased cases have been observed only in three municipalities of the country: Ozurgeti, Racha-lechkhumi and Akhaltsikhe.
“In terms of cancer statistics, Georgia does not have a bad situation. We are slightly below the EU and CIS states in terms of cancer spread,” he added.
Gamkrelidze says the most common form of cancer in Georgia is thyroid cancer, followed by lung cancer in men and breast cancer in women.
Last year, 8,960 Georgian patients went abroad to undergo cancer treatment.
Specialists believe that not only the state should act but that people are also responsible to regularly undergo check-ups, which is one of the most effective ways of cancer prevention.
Georgians can undergo state-initiated free cancer diagnosis programs for men and woman: breast cancer checks for persons from 40 to 70 years old, cervical tests for persons from 25 to 60 years old, intestinal tests for citizens aged 50-70, and prostate tests for men from 50 to 70 years old.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says in 2015, 8.8 million people died worldwide from cancer, and 30-50% of cancer deaths could be prevented by modifying or avoiding key risk factors, including avoiding tobacco products, reducing alcohol consumption, maintaining a healthy body weight, exercising regularly and addressing infection-related risk factors.
The annual number of new cases in the world is projected to rise from 14.1 million in 2012 to 21.6 million in 2030. Around 75% of cancer deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, where the number of cancer cases is rising most rapidly.
By Thea Morrison