100,000 Cancer Cases Annually

Currently, more than 300,000 people suffer from cancer in the country and nearly 100,000 Iranians are diagnosed with different types of cancer annually.Cancer rate for Iranian men and women is 134 and 128 for every 100,000 population respectively, while the average global figure stands at 205 and 165 per 100,000; that means the figure for Iran is still lower than the global average, said Iraj Harirchi, deputy minister of health.However, that does not mean Iran’s cancer incidence is not growing. “Cancer is among the top 10 leading causes of death and we are making all efforts through screening at the health facilities and providing treatment, to decrease the rate,” he said, emphasizing the role of the media in informing people about the threat of the non-communicable disease and its risk factors, IRNA reported.Harirchi maintained that in order to diagnose and prevent cancer early, in the last four years the Health Ministry has tried to raise public awareness by launching national campaigns to promote healthy diets and lifestyles.