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Early detection, diagnosis for cost-effective cancer interventions
Most people are unaware that colorectal cancer is a “silent killer”; it has few noticeable symptoms until late in the progression of the disease.
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Strategy: Sylviana Andinisari explains some of the strategies being used combat cancer among children in Indonesia. (JP/Sylviana Hamdani) (JP/Sylviana Hamdani)
I
ndonesia marked this year’s World Cancer Day with a bold call from Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin and others for widespread early screening for the disease so that it can be treated as effectively as possible.
Catching cancer early can increase the chance of survival by between 80 and 90 percent. This is why the government is making far-reaching investments in cancer control and prevention through, among others measures, a more balanced distribution of screening equipment.
“The pathway to achieving cancer prevention targets will be difficult, however, unless people better understand the importance of early cancer detection,” Budi said during an event in Jakarta to commemorate World Cancer Day on Feb. 4.
Convincing people to overcome the fear of cancer screening was already a daunting task, the minister said.
Globally, cancer is responsible for nearly one in six deaths, making it a leading cause of fatality worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. The four most common cancers are breast, lung, colon or rectal (colorectal) and prostate cancers.
In Indonesia, 396,914 cancer cases were discovered in 2020, with most patients being diagnosed with advanced stages of the disease, Health Ministry data shows. Breast and cervical cancers were the two most commonly diagnosed cancers among women while lung and colorectal cancers were the most prevalent among men.
Based on 2020 GLOBOCAN data, colorectal cancer is the fourth most common cancer diagnosis in Indonesia. At least 35,000 people in the country are diagnosed with this type of cancer every year, and 35 percent of the cases are found in people younger than 40 years old. The rate of colorectal cancer deaths is 6.7 per 100,000 cases, which is relatively high.
