For the first time today, members of Seychelles Patients Association joined Cancer Concern Association and many others in the annual march to commemorate World Cancer Day.
The purpose of the march is to mobilize national efforts towards cancer prevention, early diagnosis and treatment. It is also to show solidarity to the patients and their relatives affected by cancer.
Chairperson of Seychelles Patients Association, Dr Bernard Valentin says that Cancer continues to be a major non-communicable disease in Seychelles.
“Cardiovascular diseases are the main causes of death (around 34.0%) followed by cancer (around 18.4% of deaths) and diabetes (around 3.0%),” he said.
Obesity in adults, alcohol consumption, tobacco use and physical inactivity contribute to the cancer pandemic.
According to statistics of the National Cancer Registry, the three most common types of cancer in men in the last five years were prostate cancer (at around 31.6% of the total number of cancers) followed by colorectal cancer (around 13.8%) and cancer of the mouth & pharynx (around 9.6%).
In the female gender, breast cancer is the most common cancer at around 32.8% of the total cancers followed by colorectal at around 12.4% and cervical cancer at around 11.6%.
Seychelles Patients Association 