As part of the National Cancer Control Program, Turkey is planning to increase the number of health institutions and associations that specialize in cancer diagnosis and treatment and place particular emphasis on promoting healthy lifestyles and encouraging people to quit smoking, Akdağ said. He highlighted that due to an improvement in recordkeeping in recent years, cancer data on Turkey are now accepted at the international level and are a reliable source of information. “According to the latest data, in our country the incidence of cancer is 229 per 100,000 people. Put differently, each year, out of every 100,000 people, 229 are diagnosed with cancer,” the minister said.
Health Minister Recep Akdağ has said the incidence of cancer in Turkey is 229 per 100,000 people, according to the latest data. These figures show a sharp increase in the prevalence of cancer in recent years, according to the minister. If the numbers continue to increase at the current rate, this figure will have doubled by the 2030s |
These figures show a sharp increase in the incidence of cancer in Turkey in recent years, Akdağ said. If the numbers continue to increase at the current fast pace, then by the 2030s this figure will have doubled, meaning around 450 people out of every 100,000 will be diagnosed with cancer annually. Turkey is taking steps to combat this, the minister said, noting that Turkey was third amongst European countries in terms of money spent fighting cancer. The Health Ministry foots all the treatment costs of cancer patients, not charging a thing, he said. “At present, Turkey spends $2.5 billion annually on cancer treatment alone. … If no preventative measures are taken, by the 2030s this figure could rise to $12 billion. Even though it will take at least 15 years to see the effects of such preventative measures, the picture we are facing right now is such that it mandates that such measures must be implemented without delay,” he said.
In the face of such a dangerous trend, the Health Ministry’s anti-cancer department brought together prominent scientists and members of NGOs to work on the five-year National Cancer Control Program. The expansive program includes action plans in areas such as cancer recordkeeping, prevention, early diagnosis, treatment and palliative care.
Cancer in Turkey
Along with the program, the Health Ministry also released a six-year analysis of cancer in Turkey. Some of the data from this analysis are below.
- There are currently around 396,000 cancer patients in Turkey.
- In Turkey, 140,000 people die of cancer annually, with 150,000 new cases diagnosed each year.
- Lung cancer is the most common and most deadly form of cancer in Turkey, with 50,000 new cases annually (closely related to the rate of cigarette smoking in the country).
- Breast cancer is the most common cancer amongst Turkish women, with 16,000 new cases annually.
- Regionally, genital cancers are the most prevalent in industrialized regions, with skin cancers prevalent in the Mediterranean and stomach cancer frequently seen in eastern Anatolia.
- A significant rise in the incidence of thyroid cancer in the Black Sea region has caught the attention of the Turkish medical community.
