1.5 lakh new cancer patients diagnosed every year: expert

There are 15 lakh cancer patients in Bangladesh and another 1.5 lakh are being diagnosed every year, but treatment facilities are not strong enough, an oncology specialist told a conference in the capital yesterday.

Habibullah Talukder, head of cancer epidemiology department at National Institute of Cancer Research and Hospital (NICRH), made the disclosure.

He also observed that due to lack of awareness, diagnosis, and enough cancer detection centres, people are being deprived of treatment at initial stage.

Later, they become unable to afford treatment expenses when the illness reaches critical condition, he said while presenting a keynote paper at the conference organised by Community Oncology Foundation of Bangladesh (COFB) at Bishwa Shahitto Kendro Auditorium.

Dr Habibullah said a cancer patient can be cured if his illness is detected at an initial stage. 

Citing the need for establishing more hospitals, he said the National Institute of Cancer Research and Hospital, the only specialised hospital for cancer treatment in the country, has 300 beds which is not big enough to accommodate all cancer patients. 

He demanded ensuring treatment of members of marginalised communities of the country, by establishing cancer hospitals at local levels.

Speakers at the conference urged the government to improve facilities of cancer treatment at district and upazila levels, in order to ensure treatment of the increasing number of cancer patients across the country.

They also demanded implementation of global policies to control cancer, and urged the government to introduce a National Cancer Control Programme so that proper initiatives can be taken in this regard.

With COFB President Prof Sabera Khatun, also the chairman of gynaeoncology department of BSMMU, in the chair,  Rajshahi Cancer Hospital founder Dr Patrick Biswas, and surgical oncology department chairman Prof Saifuddin Ahmed also spoke at the conference.