KHCF says Jordan cancer rates ‘alarmingly’ high

AMMAN — Some 40 per cent of all cancer types can be prevented through adopting a healthy lifestyle, Director General of the King Hussein Cancer Foundation (KHCF) Nisreen Qatamish said on Tuesday. 

Citing the National Cancer Registry affiliated with the Health Ministry,  Qatamish told The Jordan Times over the phone that 36 per cent of cancer patients in Kingdom are under the age of 50.

Qatamish said that the registry analyses all the cancer cases in the health sector and issues an annual report on them, sorting cases among types, ages, areas and more. The director general added that the recent registry report indicated that cancer rates in the Kingdom are "alarmingly" high. 

However, "people can shield and protect themselves from 40 per cent of cancers through following a healthy lifestyle", Qatamish said, adding that this is also the reason the rate of cancer patients under 50 years of age is high.

The main habit that can lead to developing cancer is smoking; whether cigarettes or hookah, and they can lead to not only lung cancer as is commonly known, but also nine other types of cancer, Qatamish said. 

She also highlighted the importance of strongly enforcing the law prohibiting smoking in public areas, saying many still do so, which exposes others to second-hand smoke, endangering their lives as well. 

The second cause is overly consuming fast and sugary foods, which decrease the power of the immune system, making a person more vulnerable to cancer, Qatamish said, noting that this also leads to obesity, which on its own could lead to cancer.

"The rates of obesity in Jordan are also alarming, and people here connect the idea of sports to gyms only, but what is really needed is simply movement, to walk every day at least in order to prevent obesity and strengthen the immune system," she said.

There are factors that cannot be managed or controlled, such as genetic or ageing factors, or even unknown factors that could lead to cancer, which is why the KHCF always encourages early diagnosis, Qatamish said. 

She added that the most important programme in this regard is the breast cancer programme, because breast cancer comprises 20 per cent of all cases registered annually and early diagnosis saves 98 per cent of people with breast cancer from further complications. 

"People need to be aware when it comes to their bodies and the changes they go through. This is why if any change occurs, we should not ignore it and should go do a check up or early diagnosis to make sure we are safe," Qatamish said, adding that "for example, women are encouraged to start doing regular breast cancer diagnoses starting in their twenties".

The KHCF also offers the "Cancer Care Insurance Programme", launched in light of the financial burdens related to treating cancer, Qatamish said, urging people to subscribe to the insurance programme, which has existed for around 17 years. 

The programme has 200,000 subscribers — individuals and companies. The director general urged everyone to subscribe in order to ensure treatment at the centre, noting that this also relieves the government from the financial burdens in this regard. 

People generally need to adopt healthy lifestyles, commit to regular check-ups and early diagnoses, and have a backup insurance plan in order to protect themselves from all sorts of cancers, Qatamish said.