The Most Prominent Cancers Among Men Under 40 in South Africa
Cancer is a significant public health problem in South Africa, affecting people of all ages, genders, races, and socioeconomic backgrounds. According to the 2019 National Cancer Registry (NCR), there were 108,168 new cases of invasive cancer diagnosed in the country, of which 51,059 were in males¹. However, the burden of cancer is not equally distributed among different age groups. In this essay, I will focus on the most prominent cancers among men under 40 in South Africa based on the available data and literature. The primary source of data for this essay is the NCR, which is a pathology-based cancer registry that collects information on both solid and haematological cancers diagnosed by histology, cytology, and bone marrow¹. The NCR is affiliated with the African Cancer Registry Network (ACRN) and is recognised by the International Agency for Research in Cancer (IARC)¹. The NCR publishes annual reports on the incidence and distribution of cancer in South Africa, which are used for research, education, and policy-making purposes. However, the NCR has some limitations that need to be acknowledged. First, the NCR is not a population-based registry, which means that it does not capture all the cases of cancer that occur in the country, especially those that are diagnosed clinically or radiologically or those that are not reported by the laboratories¹. Second, the NCR does not provide data on the mortality, survival, or stage of cancer, which are important indicators of the impact and outcome of cancer¹. Third, the NCR does not provide data on the risk factors, screening, prevention, or treatment of cancer, which are essential for understanding the causes and interventions of cancer¹. Therefore, the NCR data should be interpreted cautiously and supplemented with other sources of information, such as population-based registries, vital statistics, surveys, and studies. The Most Prominent Cancers Among Men Under 40 in South Africa According to the NCR 2019 report, the most prominent cancers among men under 40 in South Africa were: In conclusion, the most prominent cancers among men under 40 in South Africa were non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, testicular cancer, and leukaemia, according to the NCR 2019 report. These cancers have different characteristics, symptoms, causes, and treatments, and they pose significant challenges to the health system and society. Therefore, it is important to raise awareness, promote prevention, facilitate early detection, and improve access to quality care for these cancers, as well as to support research and advocacy efforts to reduce the burden and improve the outcome. (1) Cancer Statistics – CANSA – The Cancer Association of South Africa. https://cansa.org.za/south-african-cancer-statistics/. (2) Men & Cancer – CANSA – The Cancer Association of South Africa. https://cansa.org.za/mens-health/. (3) South Africa – IARC. https://gco.iarc.fr/today/data/factsheets/populations/710-south-africa-fact-sheets.pdf.Data Sources and Limitations
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